A View of the Primates and the Anglican Covenant Process from the Antipodes

The Ven. Rev. Dr. Edwin Byford, a friend and mentor of mine who presently serves as archdeacon of the Riverina and rector of Coolamon-Ganmain in the diocese of Riverina, New South Wales, has sent me the following comments on the Primates' meeting via e-mail. Fr. Byford is a keen observer of the Anglican scene, and I reproduce these remarks for your consideration with his kind permission.

"The initial indications from Egypt are not at all surprising. The word after Lambeth was that most of the liberals — USA, Canada, New Zealand were very anti a covenant but so were the most conservative — Japan, North and South India. Those who most favoured a covenant were those who had a broad church which went from conservative to liberal and had mechanisms for holding together with all their differences. It would most certainly be the case that the greatest opposition in this country to a covenant would come from Sydney because that would mean that the rest of the church would have an intervention mechanism against their moves towards lay presidency.

The problem is not just those of us who would want to hold to the traditional formularies verses those who are liberal but that there are some very strange alliances between traditionalists and lunatic liberals who want to protect their peculiar polities.

This is far from over and going on some of the reports from Mississippi with regard to the visit by the Presiding Bishop all is not going smoothly for her and the General Convention could be a lot more entertaining than 815 would desire. I suspect that there will be real ghosts in Denver."