The primacy of Canterbury has not been in question in either the Anglican Communion, or by Rome and Orthodoxy over the centuries. That is, until the last year or two, and by some parts of the Global Anglican South and by its various American supporters. The rejection of the See of Canterbury has been and is rejected or not truly respected for various reasons—initially because the Church of England approved the ordination of women in the early 1990s, and then because the present incumbent took positions not approved or liked by some Global South leaders.

Very recently, they expressed dislike of the content of his Advent 2007 Letter to the Global Communion through the Primates. And for them their disagreement is a sufficient basis for their talking of having their own separate organization or communion of churches.
Historically, there has always been a distinction between the See as such and the incumbent sitting there, as there has been between the Pope and the Papacy.

This distinction is not always easy to explain and establish, but it is nevertheless a long-standing way of thinking. After all, the See is there before the incumbent is installed and after he retires or dies.

What is possible!

It is theoretically possible for the Anglican Communion of Churches to engage in prayerful negotiation over a period of time and then decide that the time has come, in God’s providential guiding of the Anglican Way, for the central and unifying See to be elsewhere—e.g. Lagos or Singapore—and for the Church of England, which gave its name (Ecclesia Anglicana) to the Anglican Communion , to be demoted to one of the ordinary members of the 38 current Churches, rather than its first member.

If this is what the Global South and their American supporters desire, then it would surely be good for them to stay for the time being within the traditional patterns and procedures, and, within this context initiate the discussions to test out how many Provinces favor this radical change. Their present criticisms and threats to boycott Lambeth 2008 are surely not the way for godly and reasonable church leaders to deal with an institution of 1410 years of existence.

Unity in truth and Truth in unity is what the Anglican Communion has stood for historically, even though this has been an ideal, and rarely an attainment.

This ideal needs to stay in place, all Bishops invited to Lambeth Conference in July 2008 should plan to attend, submitting to the historical vocation of the See of Canterbury to issue invitations and to be the president.

Once there, the Bishops of the Global South can ensure that any moves to seek to change the primacy of Canterbury can begin in charity, missionary concern and in prayerfulness.
It does not make sense to break up the Anglican Communion without at least the major opportunity offered by Lambeth 2008 for Christian conversation!

---The Rev. Dr. Peter Toon is president of the Prayer Book Society USA.
he can be reached at: drpetertoon@yahoo,com