Nelson Diocese and Lambeth Conference 2008

From the 2008 Synod session of the Diocese of Nelson in the Anglican Church of Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia:

That this Synod, noting the holding of the decennial Lambeth Conference in July/August 2008 and the presence of Bishop Richard and Hilary Ellena at the Conference:

(a) welcomes Bishop Richard and Hilary back to the Diocese, and expresses its gratitude for their participation in the conference
(b) encourages Bishop Richard and Hilary to report on the conference in a variety of ways to the parishes of the Diocese
(c) receives the following statement made by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the course of his Final Presidential Address to the Lambeth Conference:

“The Resolution of Lambeth '98 was an attempt to say both 'We need understanding and shared discernment on a hugely complex topic,' and 'We as the bishops in council together are not persuaded that the new thoughts offered to us can be reconciled with our shared loyalty to Scripture.' Perhaps we should read that Resolution — forgetting for a moment the bitterness and confusion around the debate and acknowledging that it remains where our Communion as a global community stands — as an attempt to define what a healthy Church might need — space for study and free discussion without pressure, pastoral patience and respect, unwillingness to change what has been received in faith from Scripture and tradition. And this is not by any means to say that a traditional understanding and a new one are just two equal options, like items on the supermarket shelf : the practice and public language of the Church act always as a reminder that the onus of proof is on those who seek a new understanding.”