Posted on 05/03/2006 12:42:04 PM PDT by sionnsar
My gracious lord of Canterbury won't visit C-Bus next month:
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, has declined an invitation to attend the 75th General Convention in Columbus, Ohio, next month, citing pre-existing obligations.
The Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold, and the Archbishop of Canterbury did talk about this some time ago and it is not possible on the Archbishops mid-June calendar, an aide to Bishop Griswold told The Living Church.
Sources at Lambeth Palace note the absence of the Archbishop of Canterbury is not intended as a snub to the Episcopal Church, but arises from the scheduling of a series of consultations designed to keep the Anglican Communion from falling into schism.
Translation: leave off trying to clean up ECUSA's mess and show up at the very meeting that will quite likely blast the Anglican Communion apart? Be photographed shaking hands with Frank Griswold, Gene Robinson or California's prospective homosexual pointy hat? Are you freaking kidding His Grace?
Archbishop Williams absence from Columbus will be the first time the Archbishop of Canterbury has not visited General Convention during a Presiding Bishops tenure since the 1950s. In 1997, Archbishop George Carey attended the 72nd General Convention in Philadelphia at which Bishop Griswold was elected Presiding Bishop while Archbishop Robert Runcie was the guest of the 1985 General Convention in Anaheim, Calif., where Presiding Bishop Edmund Browning was elected.
First time in 50 years? Yeah, no snub there. Dr. Williams really wanted to make the trip too. It was his goshdarned schedule, doncha know. One of those things. Couldn't be helped.
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