During a press conference after the Anglican Communion Network’s two-day council meeting, the Most Rev. Gregory Venables of the Province of the Southern Cone challenged the notion among some Episcopalians that the primates are claiming curial powers for themselves.

Because Anglicans worldwide are led by locally elected bishops, he said, “Common sense and biblical concepts would say that the primates are at that highest level of authority, along with the Archbishop of Canterbury.”

The Rt. Rev. Jack L. Iker, Bishop of Fort Worth, said the primates’ increased authority is in direct response to Resolution III.6 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference. That resolution said, in part, that the primates’ meeting should “include among its responsibilities positive encouragement to mission, intervention in cases of exceptional emergency which are incapable of internal resolution within provinces, and giving of guidelines on the limits of Anglican diversity in submission to the sovereign authority of Holy Scripture and in loyalty to our Anglican tradition and formularies.”

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Anglican Communion Network

1. Alice Linsley wrote: Set aside the Roman language and instead of speaking of “curial powers” speak of apostolic authority. August 1, 5:24 pm | [comment link]

2. Grandmother wrote: “The Network renewed an offer to serve as a mediator in such cases.” This last line in the story is NOT correct. The Network voted to “support” or something similar undergoing mediation, NOT serve as mediator. I watched it, and that is what happened.  Reading around the web, I see the TLC story stirring up a big stink.  Wish Doug, would correct the statement. Gloria August 1, 5:50 pm | [comment link]

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