A major conference for bishops of the Anglican Communion that garnered headlines for not inviting same-sex spouses has been postponed over concerns about the coronavirus.
The Lambeth Conference, which was originally scheduled to be held at Canterbury in the United Kingdom in July and August, has been postponed until summer 2021.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, head of the Anglican Communion, announced the rescheduling in a video message posted to the Conference website on Monday.
Welby stated that he believed that “the place of a bishop at a time of difficulty is the place of a shepherd when the wolf is attacking the flock.”
“It is to be with them, to be alongside them, to love them, to suffer with them,” he said. “Because of the coronavirus, travel around the world is deeply restricted and the amount of time that we will face these limitations is unknown.”
“For these reasons, so that we may be good shepherds as bishops in the Anglican world and encourage the Church to be there for God’s suffering world, we have decided to reschedule and postpone the conference.”
Welby stressed that they are “absolutely not canceling,” adding that “when we come together, it will be in a world reshaped by what is going on at the moment.”
“It is ever more important that we meet to pray, to study the Scriptures, to hear the Word of God, to comfort, to gain a fresh vision of what it is to be God’s church for God’s world,” he continued.
“Let us remember that as we come together and share our wisdom, we will need to hear from the Spirit through each other, to think and ponder and study, to worship and pray.”
SOURCE: Christian Post, Michael Gryboski
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