A task group has been appointed to “maintain conversation” among the Primates of the Anglican Communion as requested during the Primates’ Gathering and Meeting in Canterbury Cathedral in January. The Primates asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to establish the group as part of their commitment to “walk together” despite “deep differences”.

The primates requested the group “with the intention of restoration of relationship, the rebuilding of mutual trust, healing the legacy of hurt, recognising the extent of our commonality and exploring our deep differences, ensuring they are held between us in the love and grace of Christ.”

The secretary general of the Anglican Communion, Josiah Idowu-Fearon, confirmed during the recent Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Lusaka that the group had been established. Today, the Anglican Communion Office confirmed the membership of the group.

It includes seven primates, drawn from across the globe, a suffragan bishop, a provincial secretary and the former vice chair of the Anglican Consultative Council.

The group will meet together at least once each year; with additional meetings held electronically. Its terms of reference including working out “the modalities for the implementation of the requests from the Primates” and to provide regular briefings to the Archbishop of Canterbury. 

The members of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s task group are:

Archbishop Richard Clarke from the Church of Ireland; Presiding Bishop Michael Curry from the US-based Episcopal Church; Bishop Govada Dyvasirvadam, Moderator of Church of South India; Archbishop Ian Ernest, from the Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean; Archbishop Philip Freier, from the Anglican Church of Australia; Archbishop Ng Moon Hing, from the Province of South East Asia; Canon Rosemary Mbogo, the Provincial Secretary of the Anglican Church of Kenya; the Rt Revd Linda Nicholls, Suffragan Bishop of Toronto in the Anglican Church of Canada; the former vice chair of the ACC, Canon Elizabeth Paver, from the Church of England; and Bishop Paul Sarker, the Moderator of the Church of Bangladesh.

The secretary general of the Anglican Communion, Josiah Idowu-Fearon, will serve the group as secretary. No date has been set for the group’s first meeting.