The deep schism within the Anglican Communion is once again showing, with the Episcopal Church of Rwanda 'unanimously' rejecting an invitation to attend the upcoming Lambeth Conference held in the U.K for 2008.
In a communiqué released on Thursday, the Church believed the invitation to only invite some bishops while rejecting others was divisive.
The bishops from the Anglican Mission (AMiA) and the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) were not invited. AMiA was given the responsibility to lead Rwanda's missionary to outreach North American after the issue of ordaining homosexuals, while CAPA supported American dioceses that didn't support the national stance on homosexuality, reported the Rwanda News Agency.
The Church also added a second reason to justify their non-attendance, saying that the Most Reverend Honourable Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury's decision to invite the Episcopal Church of America (TEC), the Anglican Church of Canada and other like-minded provinces has also played a part in their decision.
"From his (the Archbishop of Canterbury) actions and decision to invite TEC, a province which is violating holy orders, biblical teaching and the tradition of the church, and his decision not to invite the bishops of AMiA and CANA, the Archbishop of Canterbury has shown that he has now taken sides because the Primates have asked TEC for repentance in order to be in communion with them.", reads the communiqué released by the Rwandan bishops.
Although the Sydney Anglicans bishops will attend the Lambeth conference; in its meeting, the Standing Committee had urged Sydney Anglican Archbishop Dr Peter Jensen on Monday, to accept the invitation while making clear the diocese position to Archbishop Williams.
The Sydney diocese position for Dr Jensen to make in attending the conference was, "(A) principal objections to the continued participation of those whose actions have expressed a departure from the clear teaching of scripture and who have consequently excluded orthodox Anglicans from their fellowship."