ROWAN WILLIAMS, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has apologised to archbishops in the developing world for the way the Church of England exported Hymns Ancient and Modern and other prayers and liturgies to remote parts of the mission field.

Dr Williams, speaking in Egypt, said that the Church had committed “error” in making “cultural captives” of those on the receiving end of its missionary endeavours during the days of the British Empire.

Dr Williams was addressing delegates from 20 Anglican provinces in the Church’s Global South, made up of Africa, southern Asia, the West Indies and South America. He said that the Church was in “real difficulty” here and that provinces needed to be encouraged to develop prayers and liturgies in tune with local cultures.

He said: “In all sorts of ways the Church over the centuries has lent itself to the error, indeed the sin of trying to make cultural captives, whether it is the mass export of Hymns Ancient and Modern to the remote parts of the mission field . . . the shadow of the British Empire that hangs over our own Communion or the export of American values and styles to the whole world.”

His comments come as the Anglican Church remains paralysed by the conflict over homosexuality. Delegates issued one of their strongest condemnations yet of the developments.

The Global South bishops said: “The unscriptural innovations of North American and some western provinces on issues of human sexuality undermine the basic message of redemption and the power of the Cross to transform lives. These departures are a symptom of a deeper problem, which is the diminution of the authority of Holy Scripture.”

The Global South is today expected to publish its proposals for a formal structure for the grouping. The leading African church, Nigeria, has already deleted all reference to Canterbury from its constitution.

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