This week, Glenn Davies and I begin a regular analysis of Anglican Communion issues from a Sydney Anglican perspective.

I’m starting us off today with some comment on the meeting of the Primates of the Anglican Communion, which is happening this week in Alexandria, Egypt.

What is this meeting?

According to a January 2009 report prepared for the English General Synod, 'The Primates' Meeting.is an episcopal body and its members are by definition those who pre-eminently speak on behalf of their own churches'. The meetings have an 'inherent authority by virtue of the office which they hold as chief pastors'. The report asserts that, 'the primary teaching authority in the Communion must rest with the Lambeth Conference as a whole, the role of the Primates' Meeting being one of interpretation and application, and of acting between meetings of the Conference on behalf of all the bishops of the Communion'. The only Scripture relied on for these claims is a tendentious exegesis of Acts 15.

In no way is the primate the 'chief pastor' of Australian Anglicans. His function is defined by constitution and is largely administrative. The position is for a fixed term and filled by a committee election. In one round of the recent primatial election, the clerical members were evenly divided and on the final ballot, a third of the bishops did not vote for the successful candidate. Legally, the Australian primate has no jurisdiction beyond his own diocese.

As to speaking on behalf of Australian Anglicans, the Sydney synod, on a number of occasions, disassociated itself from pronouncements of a previous primate. On some recent critical issues where the views of the 'Australian church' were sought, the present primate has surveyed representative bodies and conveyed the result. One hardly needs a bishop to do this.

If Lambeth 1998 expressed the true teaching on human sexuality, subsequent Primates' Meeting have been singularly unable to interpret and apply this teaching in North America. Will the North American chaos of secession and litigation be on the agenda? Will welcome be extended to GAFCON and recognition given to the new Province of North America? The press release advises that the meetings are 'held in private session' with the hope of the issue of a communiqué at the end. Unlike the Bank of England, who publish minutes and voting patterns, the operational transparency of the Primates' Meeting remains opaque.

One final point: the primates have little control over the agenda, and the calling of meetings is in the hands of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is common knowledge that he did not want a meeting of primates before Lambeth 2008. The primates could show some spine by electing their own chair, and taking control of the agenda and meeting schedules.

As this blog continues, Glenn Davies and I will offer our own reflections on Anglican Communion news, and ask how these happenings affect us here in Sydney.

Feel free to offer your perspectives too!