June 23, 2003
Dear Brothers in Christ:
None of us will need any persuading that the
recent appointment of Canon Jeffrey John as Bishop of Reading has
proved a controversial and challenging one. It has become a focus
for a great deal of debate, in which differing views of the appointment
and its significance have been widely aired, inside and outside
the Church here, and indeed much further afield. At this point in
the debate - particularly since some of you have already voiced
serious concerns - it is important that I try to clarify basic issues,
in my capacity as Archbishop of Canterbury and Chairman of the House
of Bishops. First, about the appointment process. As you know, the
appointment of a suffragan bishop is made by the Crown, on the advice
of a diocesan as forwarded by the Archbishop of the province. And
that is what has happened on this occasion. It is not for me to
recount the diocesan process. But so far as my own involvement is
concerned, you should know it is an appointment I have neither sought
to promote nor to obstruct. I was informed that Canon Jeffrey John
was regarded as a highly gifted candidate, was acceptable to the
diocese, that he had given explicit assurances on various matters,
including his personal circumstances and his willingness to work
loyally within the framework of doctrine and discipline as expressed
in Issues in Human Sexuality. With these assurances, since repeated
very publicly, and in keeping with the principle that the integrity
of the process within the diocese should be respected, I raised
no objection to forwarding his name. Despite what some have claimed,
I do not believe this overall process weakens the commitment of
the House of Bishops to what we have declared as our common mind.
Nor do I believe that Canon John's appointment either subverts current
discipline or forecloses future discussion. It would certainly be
deplorable if it were assumed that the existing approach has been
abandoned by stealth, or that the forthcoming guide to the debate
on sexuality that we have agreed to publish, was slanted towards
a change in that policy. So, let us be clear: there can be no question
of trying to pre-empt, undermine or short-circuit the reflection
of the Church as a whole. It is also important here, to stress to
the wider Anglican Communion that we are not embarking on or colluding
with any policy of unilateral local change, which I have more than
once deplored elsewhere. Two final and important points. The concerns
of many in the diocese of Oxford are theologically serious, intelligible
and by no means based on narrow party allegiance or on prejudice.
They must be addressed and considered fully. Confidence in the ability
of a new bishop to minister to those in his pastoral care is a centrally
important matter, and it is clear that serious questions remain
in the diocese. To consider these with prayerfulness and maturity
needs time and a measure of calm. It is not for anyone outside the
diocese to override or pre-empt what is obviously a painful and
complex process, and I can only ask your prayers for the diocese
as it struggles with this and tries to find a right discernment.
Finally, it would be a tragedy if these issues, in the Church of
England and in the Communion, occupied so much energy that we lost
our focus on the priorities of our mission, the priorities given
us by Our Lord. What we say about sexuality (and not just on the
same-sex question) is a necessary part of our faithfulness, but
the concentration on this in recent weeks has had the effect of
generating real incomprehension in much of our society, in a way
that does nothing for our credibility. In the world where we are
called to offer the Good News of Jesus, we need to reflect on this
dimension of the situation - not to surrender to alien standards,
but to keep our eyes on those central revealed truths without which
other matters of behaviour and discipline will never make sense.
In a few weeks, I shall be making a pastoral visit to West Africa.
Some of our local issues are there too, of course, but so are most
of the greatest wounds of our age, afflicting millions - violent
conflict, epidemic disease, instability and poverty. Faithful Christian
witness shines through all this, and we are deeply thankful for
it. It does us no harm to think about our own priorities against
such a background, and perhaps to learn in some matters to give
each other a little more time and space for thought as we try to
find how we can walk in step as the Body of Christ - not falling
over ourselves because of anxiety and suspicion.
+Rowan Cantuar
Lambeth Palace
Anglican Communion News Service
|
|