GAFCON AND LAMBETH
At this point, it is appropriate to ask, what is the status of GAFCON and its participation in the 2020 Lambeth Conference? A few days ago, the GAFCON primates' meeting in Sydney adjourned and the Anglican Consultative Council, in Hong Kong, likewise ended. This is an appropriate point to ask, Is GAFCON boycotting Lambeth?
Reports have been circulating on the Internet that the GAFCON bishops will not attend the Lambeth Conference of 2020. As far as I can tell, these reports come form two sources. One is a website in England called "Premier." Twice in the past few days they have posted assertions of a GAFCON boycott. The most recent is here . Ironically, the article is entitled "Calm Urged as Anglican Split over Sexuality Threatens to Deepen." Then follows this, "Conservative group GAFCON says its bishops won't attend due to the fact gay bishops will be permitted to attend." The article gives no substantiation, documentation, or other verification for this serious charge. One wonders how such an inflammatory assertion can "urge calm." Nevertheless, this article has been reposted on respected Internet sites.
The other source is the blog of David Ould. Find it here . Ould was actually at the press conference that was posted on video with YouTube. Ould wrote on May 4, 2019, "At an event hosted by GAFCON Australia today here in Sydney, Archbishop Foley Beach (Primate of the ACNA and now chair of the GAFCON Primates Council) reaffirmed that they will be turning down Archbishop's of Canterbury's invitation to attend the 2020 Lambeth Conference." Once again, the author offered no substantiation, documentation, or other verification of this sweeping charge. And, once again, popular websites have reposted Ould's article.
Thus, we are left to wonder, is it true that GAFCON has told its bishops not to attend LC 2020?
What do we know as facts now?
---On June 22, 2018, the GAFCON assembly issued "Letter to the Churches." Find it here . It urged the Archbishop of Canterbury to invite to LC 2020 the bishops of the Anglican Church in North America and not to invite the bishops of the Episcopal Church. "In the event that this does not occur, we urge Gafcon members to decline the invitation to attend Lambeth 2020 and all other meetings of the Instruments of Communion." Note the operative word, "urge." This means the decision to attend would be up to the bishops. This is not a coordinated boycott.
---On May 6, 2019, the GAFCON primates issued "A Communiqué from the Gafcon Primates Council." Find it here . It said that GAFCON had not received a response from the ABC to its letter of June 22, 2018. It left the matter there. It did not offer any stance on the Lambeth Conference although it went on to announce its own bishops' conference a few weeks before LC 2020.
---On May 4, 2019, ACNA Archbishop Foley Beach, chair of the GAFCON primates' council, held a press conference. Find it here . He said the GAFCON primates had sent a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury and were awaiting a response. He gave no other details. He did not give a date, or description, of the letter. It is possible he was referring to the 2018 "Letter to the Churches." He said nothing about GAFCON attending the Lambeth Conference. Beach did not say GAFCON would be turning down the ABC's invitation.
These are the publicly-known facts now:
1. The GAFCON primates are awaiting a response to their letter to the ABC.
2. GAFCON, in 2018 and so far in 2019 have not issued a public stand on attending the Lambeth Conference other than the conditional "urge" in the 2018 letter.
3. The Archbishop of Canterbury has, in effect, answered GAFCON's 2018 "Letter to the Churches" by inviting all of the bishops of the Episcopal Church and inviting the ACNA to send "observers" only, not participants.
4. Since the ABC in effect denied GAFCON its request, the presumption is that GAFCON will publicly urge its bishops not to attend the LC. However, they have not done so yet.
Bottom line---
To answer the question above, Is it true that GAFCON has told its bishops not to attend the Lambeth Conference of 2020?
No, it is not true.
It is not correct to say that GAFCON has called on its bishops to boycott the Lambeth Conference. In fact, it has not made an official, public stand on attending LC 2020.
Indeed, some GAFCON bishops were highly visible and active in the Anglican Consultative Council meeting last week in Hong Kong thus disregarding the GAFCON primates' urging to avoid meetings of the Instruments of Communion.
Only three of the forty Anglican primates have publicly announced they will boycott LC 2020.
Moreover, obviously many GAFCON bishops have already registered for the Lambeth Conference since a clear majority of all Anglican bishops have signed up to attend.
Of course, it is entirely possible the GAFCON primates agreed in private to boycott, or will publicly announce a position in the future. I am not saying they will not. A boycott would certainly be in line with GAFCON's trajectory toward schism in the Anglican Communion. However, all we know for sure now is that they have not declared a formal policy on the Lambeth Conference.
Therefore, unsubstantiated Internet reports of a GAFCON sanctioned boycott of LC 2020 should be regarded warily and set aside until and unless there is verification of such an action.
To answer the question above, Is it true that GAFCON has told its bishops not to attend the Lambeth Conference of 2020?
No, it is not true.
It is not correct to say that GAFCON has called on its bishops to boycott the Lambeth Conference. In fact, it has not made an official, public stand on attending LC 2020.
Indeed, some GAFCON bishops were highly visible and active in the Anglican Consultative Council meeting last week in Hong Kong thus disregarding the GAFCON primates' urging to avoid meetings of the Instruments of Communion.
Only three of the forty Anglican primates have publicly announced they will boycott LC 2020.
Moreover, obviously many GAFCON bishops have already registered for the Lambeth Conference since a clear majority of all Anglican bishops have signed up to attend.
Of course, it is entirely possible the GAFCON primates agreed in private to boycott, or will publicly announce a position in the future. I am not saying they will not. A boycott would certainly be in line with GAFCON's trajectory toward schism in the Anglican Communion. However, all we know for sure now is that they have not declared a formal policy on the Lambeth Conference.
Therefore, unsubstantiated Internet reports of a GAFCON sanctioned boycott of LC 2020 should be regarded warily and set aside until and unless there is verification of such an action.
