On ++Gomez's Role in the Anglican Covenant

The Episcopal Majority sent the following letter on November 9 via FedEx to the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, regarding the role of Archbishop Drexel Gomez to serve as chairman of the Covenant Design Group for the Anglican Communion. The Steering Committee determined that we would not simultaneously publish this as an "open letter," but would give the Archbishop a reasonable period of time in which to acknowledge receipt of our letter. Having received no acknowledgement from Archbishop Williams, we now publish the letter here as our position on Archbishop Gomez's role in designing an Anglican Covenant.

November 9, 2006

The Most Reverend Rowan Williams
Archbishop of Canterbury

Dear Archbishop Williams,

We, the Steering Committee of the Episcopal Majority, write to urge you to ask the Most Rev. Drexel Gomez, Archbishop of the West Indies to step down as chairman of the Covenant Design Group, which has been assigned the task of creating a Covenant for the entire Anglican Communion.

It is our view that a chair of any important Anglican committee should be impartial, fair minded, neutral and without any preconceived views about what should be accomplished. Archbishop Gomez fails in each of these requirements.

The Archbishop, as a member of the Global South Steering Committee, was a signatory to the Kigali Communiqué. The communiqué announced, among other things, its close alliance with the Anglican Network of churches in America, a group dedicated to isolating or even overthrowing the American Episcopal Church. The communiqué announced that there are a number of groups within the Anglican Communion who have strenuously objected to our new Presiding Bishop. Indeed, many of those who object to the conception of Alternative Primatial Oversight have also objected to the selection and installation of Archbishop Jefferts Schori.

Archbishop Gomez has also openly expressed his view that a new Anglican Covenant must include the prohibition of full inclusion of gays and lesbians in our Church.

The Archbishop has recently criticized the ruling of your Panel of Reference’s decision in matters involving the Diocese of New Westminster. The panel did not meet his ideological criteria for church life in Canada.

The Archbishop is also one of four non-U.S. bishops, who are slated in November to meet with the American bishops, who are seeking some form of foreign oversight in American church affairs. In each case, Archbishop Gomez does not show himself to be the unbiased chair that is needed in these trying times.

Yours in Christ,

The Episcopal Majority Steering Committee:

The Rev. William R. Coats
Ms. Adrienne Fly
The Rev. David Fly
Ms. Lisa Fox
The Rev. Mark Harris
Ms. Judy Mathews
Mr Robert Smith, Esq.
The Rev. Richard Tombaugh
The Rev. Tom Woodward