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Bishops flock to UoK
The Lambeth Conference, which will bring together around 800 bishops from around the world, is due to take place at UoK next month from the 16th July and will last 20 days. UoK has been seen as the ideal place to hold the conference, mainly due to its proximity to Canterbury Cathedral.
The conference, which takes place once every decade at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, aims that all delegates will be 'restored and refreshed spiritually' and 'gain and deeper knowledge of each other' amongst other things. During the conference bishops will take part in retreat days, educational sessions, policy formation and communal worship.
A certain amount of controversy surrounds the Lambeth conference, fundamentally due to the schisms that have opened up due to the row over gay bishops. Some conservative bishops opposed to gay bishops and same-sex marriages have openly declined the Archbishop of Canterbury’s, Rowan Williams, invitation to the Lambeth conference. This has led to the scare of a growing boycott movement amongst those bishops who are unhappy with what they say is the ‘liberal agenda’ of some provinces of the Anglican Church. Most notably, amongst these bishops, the Archbishop of Nigeria has attacked the ‘revisionist leadership’ of Rowan Williams.
Additionally, over the last few months, some gay-rights campaign groups such as ‘Outrage’ have expressed concern about the university’s decision to host the Lambeth conference amid the allegation that the ‘Anglican communion violates the university’s equal opportunities bill.’ This is as ‘It bans women from becoming bishops, and pursues policies of discrimination against gay clergy’ and during the conference ‘there will be expressions of homophobia by reactionary anti-gay bishops.’
RE the opinions of Outrage:
By hosting a conference the University are not endorsing the Anglican church's, which is actually a lot more liberal than other denomination's, views on homosexuality. It is merely giving the Bishops a place to stay.
Was the guy who let Jesus stay in his shed a Christian? Impossible!
Congratulations on them for once again missing the point!
By chairman on 27.6.2008
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