The Global South Fellowship of Anglicans will present a resolution to the 2022 Lambeth Conference reaffirming the 1998 Lambeth Conference resolution 1.10 as the “Communion’s official position” on sexual ethics.
The Most Rev. Justin Badi Arama, the chairman of the GSFA, on 29 July 2022 announced “we will table this resolution” before the conference, and “on Monday we will give [the text of the Resolution] to the bishops” for consideration.
On 7 July 2022 Archbishop Badi Arama released a video message on behalf of the GSFA stating their four aims: unity of the orthodox, Biblical faithfulness, not breaking off from the Anglican Communion but being a holy remnant, and deep commitment to world mission. In support of these goals, Archbishop Badi Arama said they would table a resolution asking for a reaffirmation of Lambeth 1.10 from the conference.
On 22 July 2022 Conference organizers published the text of the ten Lambeth calls. Included in a preamble to the Call on Human Dignity was a vote to reaffirm Lambeth 1.10. Gay activists and liberal bishops protested this addition, which members of the Human Dignity drafting team said was not included in their deliberations. This Tuesday the call was redrafted, omitting the reaffirmation of Lambeth 1.10.
Asked at a press conference this morning, who was responsible for adding the reaffirmation language to the Human Dignity call, the Rt. Rev. Tim Thornton declined to answer, but said he accepted responsponsibility for the failure to communicate clearly the purpose of the call papers. He apologized for any hurt the language of the call paper may have caused and “for a lack of clarity in the process”. He noted that approximately 50 people were involved in producing all of the calls including a “young person” within each subgrou.
The goal had been “to find a way for the bishops to be heard, to say what they want to say.” The language of the calls sought to “balance the mind of the conference with the voices of individual bishops.”
Asked if any traditionalist bishops were consulted prior to the call being redrafted, Bishop Thornton declined to answer. He stated that it “was for the conference” to say what it wants to say, adding the conference “is not the end of the story” as the deliberations will continue beyond this meeting.
