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Is it just me or does this appear to have been written prior to the "Abomination of Consecration?"

Is it just me or does this appear to have been written prior to the "Abomination of Consecration?"

It was. This particular item is part of a larger plan that was constructed in the belief that things would unfold pretty exactly the way they have.

The key point of the whole document, as regards ECUSA, is the following response to Griswold's inevitable, "so what are you going to do about it?"

These bishops and their dioceses will be designated to be in full communion with the See of Canterbury, and will thereby constitute the Episcopal Church, U. S. A., empowered to act under that church's own Constitution and Canons. The Primates Meeting will designate a committee to work with the sole-designated ECUSA during this transition period, for repentance, renewal, reconciliation, and reform. Concrete steps reflecting this realignment of the Communion will commence at Easter, 2004.

This little paragraph is just jam-packed with implications.

For example, it points out that the because the ECUSA is, by Canon and Constitution, supposed to be in communion with Canterbury and the other Provinces, "the ECUSA" is whoever the Communion says it is!!! Thus, Griswold -- being set apart from ECUSA in this manner -- has no control over properties. The same is theoretically true for bishops who are not in communion.

Also, the Primate-designated committee is basically charged with overseeing the repentence of apostate bishops, and for the election of "communionable" bishops should an apostate choose not to repent.

All of this will undoubtedly find its way into the courts at some point, but the theory is that because the rules of membership are a) clear, and b) internal to ECUSA, the apostates can't win. (I'm less sanguine about it -- they can go judge-shopping....)

The key to the whole mess is Rowan Williams's response. Will he back Griswold and Ingham (and follow his own personal preference), and thus destroy the Communion?

Or will he grant the authority of Scripture, go against Griswold, bow to the Queen's wishes, preserve the Communion, and thus establish Canterbury as more than "first among equals" (becoming a de facto pope, in many ways)?

One would hope that the decision is obvious -- however, Williams being an "intellectual," one has to wonder....

You wrote "Is it just me or does this appear to have been written prior to the "Abomination of Consecration?" "

Yes it was, which also means that they have already begun to implement the first phases of it...which in turn explains why rowan the fuzzy has been so quiet lately - he realizes if he trys anything too 'creative' he's going to have all of the Global South primates telling him to sit down and shut up...which would probably be a difficult situation to explain to HM Elizabeth II, y'know?