In a statement sent to VOL from the orthodox Evangelical diocese, the Standing Committee requests the Archbishop and bishops of Sydney to approach other orthodox bishops of the communion with the purpose of meeting in England at the time of the Lambeth Conference for Christian fellowship and plan a joint action within the Anglican Communion to contend for the faith of the Apostles once delivered to the saints.

Today the House of Bishops of the Province of Rwanda said they would not attend Lambeth because some of their bishops were not invited and because the faith was being undermined by liberal elements in the Anglican Communion.

The Province of Uganda has also said it will not be present if those who consecrated V. Gene Robinson are allowed to attend while some orthodox bishops are not.

The Sydney Diocese's Standing Committee said this alternative Lambeth meeting would allow for "Christian fellowship and the planning of joint action within the Anglican Communion." It would also be a royal snub to the Archbishop of Canterbury who has been urging unity, prayer and conversation by the bishops.

The Standing Committee was particularly incensed that the invitations, which were sent to Archbishop Jensen and each of Sydney's five regional bishops in May, have been extended to most bishops in the Episcopal Church, including those who had agreed to or participated in the consecration of the Bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson.

The former Episcopal priest and evangelical leader of CANA, the American branch of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, the Rev. Martyn Minns did not receive an invitation, prompting Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria to consider boycotting Lambeth.

The Bishop of Recife, the Rt. Rev. Robinson Cavlicanti has also not received an invitation, nor has Bishop David L. Moyer, a former TEC priest who had hands laid on him by the Australian Bishop of The Murray for the Traditional Anglican Communion. The Rt. Rev. William Cox, now a bishop with the Southern Cone, has also not received an invitation.

Bishops-come-lately Bill Atwood and John Guernsey as well as the recent crossover former bishop of North Dakota, the Rt. Rev. Andy Fairfield, have also not received invitations.

The Sydney Standing Committee expressed its disappointment with the Archbishop of Canterbury's approach, in its a statement, released yesterday:

"Standing Committee therefore respectfully requests the Archbishop of this diocese to communicate to the Archbishop of Canterbury our dissatisfaction at the attempt to maintain union with the unrepentant while continuing to refuse fellowship to faithful and orthodox Anglicans such as the Church of England in South Africa."

Discussion on the international Anglican conference dominated a recent Standing Committee meeting, as members acknowledged the weight of the decision in communicating Sydney's position within the already strained Anglican Communion.

Archbishop Williams issued the invitations earlier than expected, and has requested a reply by 23 July.

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