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Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams invited two other Anglican representatives other than the head of the Episcopal Church from the United States for a worldwide meeting in February.
The Rt. Rev. D. Bruce MacPherson, bishop of Western Louisiana and president of the Presiding Bishop's Council of Advice, and the Rt. Rev. Robert W. Duncan, bishop of Pittsburgh and moderator of the conservative Anglican Communion Network, will join Anglican leaders from around the world as "the other voices" from the Episcopal Church at the Primates meeting.
The invitation by the archbishop comes as some Global South Anglican leaders said they would not recognize Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of the Episcopal Church as a representative of the U.S. body. Jefferts Schori supports the ordination of homosexuals and the blessing of same-sex unions.
Also, the departure of numerous churches from the Episcopal Church since the consecration of an openly gay bishop in 2003 has resulted in a number of separate conservative groups in the United States, including the Anglican Communion Network and the Convocation of Anglicans in North America – an outreach initiative of the Church of Nigeria.
"The Episcopal Church is not in any way a monochrome body and we need to be aware of the full range of conviction within it," said Williams in an Advent letter to the primates. "There are many in TEC (The Episcopal Church) who are deeply concerned as to how they should secure their relationships with the rest of the Communion; I hope we can listen patiently to these anxieties.”
MacPherson said the impact of the upcoming gathering could be significant on the worldwide church body.
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"The outcome of this gathering of the primates could have a significant impact on not only Episcopal Church, but the Communion as a whole. I ask that you hold this meeting in your prayers," he wrote in a letter to his clergy.
Among issues being addressed at the meeting, scheduled to open Feb. 14 in Tanzania, is the response to the Windsor Report which calls parties to the controversy to express regret over their actions and calls for restraint to be exercised in the consent process for bishops while failing to address the matter of same-sex blessings.
