Sir, The call for the Anglican Churches in America and Canada to be suspended from the Anglican Communion (report, September 1; see also letters, September 9) will need to be examined carefully.

The Anglican Communion is not a Church; it is a federation of independent Episcopal Churches under the primacy of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Because of geographical distances, the members of these Churches rarely worship together. They need to be agreed about certain basic theological doctrines, but on secondary issues, such as homosexuality, same-sex blessings, the ordination of women to the priesthood and the consecration of women as bishops, they can, and do, acceptably differ and make their own decisions.

The crucial issue is that they should retain full Communion, that is the freedom of the ordinary members to communicate in each other’s Churches and of the priests/ministers to celebrate Holy Communion in each other’s Churches.

The essential difference on homosexuality goes back to the authority and interpretation of the Bible. It is this issue above all else which the Anglican archbishops need to discuss together if Communion is not to be impaired.

Yours faithfully,
RICHMOND
(Chairman, Board for Mission and Unity of the General Synod of the Church of England, 1967-77),
Goodwood House, Goodwood,
Chichester, West Sussex PO18 0PX.
September 9.

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