New Anglican Committee on Unity, Faith and Order Concludes First Meeting

A new standing committee in the Anglican Church concluded its first meeting in Canterbury, England on Tuesday, resolving to tackle numerous issues related to the church's internal and external relationships.

Nearly two dozen clergymen were in attendance for the Dec. 1-8 meeting of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order, which dedicated its first gathering to developing the body's vision to, "promote the deepening of Communion between the Churches of the Anglican Communion, and between those Churches and the other Churches and traditions of the Christian oikumene."

In addition the commission also addressed several immediate issues related to the church including the defining and recognizing of "Anglican Churches" around the world and developing processes for evaluating various agreements presented to the church.

Occurring conspicuously during the commission's delegations was Saturday's Episcopal election in Los Angeles of the second openly gay bishop in the Anglican Communion - a motion that Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said "raises very serious questions" for the church.

"The bishops of the Communion have collectively acknowledged that a period of gracious restraint in respect of actions which are contrary to the mind of the Communion is necessary if our bonds of mutual affection are to hold," Williams said in a statement to the Diocese of Los Angeles.

Other commission participants alongside Williams included the Rev. Canon Dr. John Gibaut of the World Council of Churches, the Rev. Dr. Katherine Grieb of the Episcopal Church, and the commission's director the Rev. Canon Dr. Alyson Barnett-Cowan. The group's next meeting is scheduled to take place at the end of November 2010 in Cape Town, South Africa.

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