Bishop Robert Forsyth has called for Sydney Anglicans to pray for the outcome of the Lambeth Conference, as it gets underway this weekend in England.

Archbishop Jensen, Bishop Forsyth and the other Sydney bishops declined invitations to Lambeth after the Archbishop of Canterbury refused requests to postpone the meeting in order that the crisis in the North American church could be resolved.

North American bishops went ahead with the ordination of an openly homosexual bishop in breach of resolutions from the last Lambeth conference, and despite calls for a further moratorium it was reported this week that there are other similar consecrations which may take place in quick succession after Lambeth.

The Sydney bishops joined 300 other bishops in Jerusalem for the GAFCON conference, which issued a declaration of reaffirmation of historic christian teaching, known as the Jerusalem Declaration.

The meeting also agreed on the formation of a Primates council, consisting initially of the six Anglican primates participating in the GAFCON from Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Southern Cone, Uganda and West Africa.

Also the Anglican Church of Tanzania delegation to GAFCON is in agreement with the statement but will need the endorsement of their House of Bishops before their archbishop join the council.

The standing committee of Kenya, meeting in Nairobi, last week gave its endorsement to the GAFCON statement saying “GAFCON fellowship is not breaking away from the Anglican Communion. We are claiming our Anglican identity and our goal is to reform,heal and reviltalize the Anglican Communion and expand its mission.”

Bishop Forsyth who is Commissary of the Diocese of Sydney while the Archbishop is on leave, has said Sydney Anglicans must pray urgently for the health of the communion.

"You will remember that when Archbishop Jensen announced our painful decision, in conscience, not to attend Lambeth, he also assured Archbishop Williams of our prayers for the conference. We grieve at the failings and defections from orthodox Christian behaviour and teaching in our Communion and fervently pray that things may yet be healed. We pray that both Lambeth and the GAFCON movement will be used by God to help churches throughout our communion move forward in love and truth.”

On the eve of the meeting, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, revealed he had sent a letter to Muslim leaders and invited Christian and Muslim scholars to a conference in October.

The letter included detailed discussion of muslim understanding of christian doctrine and a statement from Dr Williams about the trinity which he said “difficult, sometimes offensive, to Muslims”.

The Lambeth meeting lasts for two weeks.