Archbishop of Canterbury Letter to National Assembly of Forward in Faith North America Lambeth Palace, London SE1 7JU | 27 June 2003 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I send you my warmest greetings and the promise of my prayers as you gather for your annual Assembly. I am well aware of the continuing contribution you make to the life of the whole Communion through your witness to traditional principles and perspectives within the life of ECUSA. There are two anxieties that matter deeply to me regarding the life of our Church today. One is that we should not become so rootless, so isolated from our heritage of doctrine, worship and discipline, that we are at the mercy of fashion and have no tools for discerning the mind of Christ. The other is that we should not become so isolated from each other in the Church that we have no tools for building up the Body of Christ in fellowship with those with whom we differ in good conscience. We are threatened by theological ignorance and spiritual sloth, but also by fear, bitterness, litigious rancour. Everyone is vulnerable to these things in one degree or another, and we need to work hard and carefully to find the habits and the structures that will allow the greatest mutual respect. As you know, I have always been committed to honouring the place held in the Church by those who are unable to accept the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate. Because they remind all of us of the wider dimensions of the Catholic tradition to which we claim loyalty, of the ecumenical implications of our decisions, and of the primacy of revelation in our thinking, they give to our Church an indispensable witness, even for those who do not wholly share their conclusions. With the Primates of the Communion, I hope to see sensitive pastoral provision and Episcopal care made available for them so that we can all continue to learn from one another in honesty and charity. I also deeply appreciate and support the witness you have given to the sacramental significance of Holy Matrimony as an unconditional and lifelong union between man and woman which tells the world of God's covenant love in Christ. While we must offer the most sensitive and patient pastoral care to all, we must not lose sight of our calling to order our lives in such a way as to speak clearly of God's will and God's nature. In this as in all other areas of our moral lives - personal, social, economic - we have a divine vocation to set before the world, a shape for human life that is both God's gift and God's summons. My prayers are with you at this time. I ask your prayers in return. These are testing days for our Church, and I pray that we may continue to search for ways of ordering our life as a Communion which will allow us all in mutual reverence and love to concentrate on the first and greatest task given to us, which is to proclaim the Good News of salvation in Jesus, truly divine, truly human, and to invite all to his fellowship in font and altar. God bless you in your mission and your ministry. In Christ, + Rowan Cantuar ____________________________________________________________ Get advanced SPAM filtering on Webmail or POP Mail ... Get Lycos Mail! http://login.mail.lycos.com/r/referral?aid=27005