The Rt. Rev. Michael G. Smith, Bishop of North Dakota, has written a brief letter about a meeting between the Archbishop of Canterbury and six bishops representing Communion Partners.
The six bishops met with Archbishop Justin Welby August 19 at Lambeth Palace. Bishop Smith’s letter was posted this morning on the Communion Partners website.
The Communion Partners group included Bishop Smith; the Rt. Rev. Gregory Brewer, Bishop of Central Florida; the Rt. Rev. Paul E. Lambert, Bishop Suffragan of Dallas; the Rt. Rev. Edward S. Little II, Bishop of Northern Indiana; the Rt. Rev. Daniel H. Martins, Bishop of Springfield; and the Rt. Rev. Edward L. Salmon, Jr., Dean of Nashotah House Theological Seminary.
“We believe the opportunity to build relationships and discuss the ministry of reconciliation we share will bear fruit in this season of our common life,” Bishop Smith wrote. “We are encouraged by our experience of the Archbishop as a man of faith and prayer, committed to the re-evangelization of increasingly secularized Western cultures.”
The complete letter follows.
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
