Why is the Archbishop sending one of the Pastoral Visitors?

The Archbishop of Canterbury has in place a group of people called Pastoral Visitors. They are

• the Rt. Rev. Santosh Marray, bishop of Seychelles (Indian Ocean);
• the Rt. Rev. Colin Bennetts, retired bishop of Coventry (England);
• the Rt. Rev. Simon Chiwanga, retired bishop of Mpwapwa (Tanzania) and former chairman of the Anglican Consultative Council;
• Major General Tim Cross, a retired British soldier who was the U.K.'s senior-most officer involved in the Pentagon's post-war planning in Iraq;
• Canon Chad Gandiya, Africa desk officer for the U.K.-based mission organization USPG; and
• the Very Rev. Justin Welby, dean of Liverpool Cathedral (England).

One of them, Bishop Santosh Marray, is in attendance at the Anglican Church in North America constituting convention.

Now according to ENS, in its article on the Pastoral Visitors, the supposed reason for the Pastoral Visitors is this:

Both the primates and the continuation group supported Williams' plan to appoint an interim group of "pastoral visitors" who could be called upon in any dispute or situation of tension until the May 1-12 meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council, the communion's main legislative body. Despite that time limit, the continuation group noted that Williams suggested an initial 12-month appointment.

The group's recent report, which was presented to the primates at their February meeting, also noted that the visitors would be required to act in a manner "consistent with the constitutions and canons of those provinces" in which they operate. Further, the group said it welcomed what it called Williams' decision that the visitors "would not have any authority to make dispositions or proposals for structural solutions to any situation, unless expressly authorized to do so by the primate or other lawful authority of the particular provinces with which they have been asked to work."

We might hope, therefore, that the Pastoral Visitor, Bishop Marray, would visit, make no supportive or encouraging statements, make no statements at all really but observe, and GO HOME.

Why is the ABC sending anyone? There is no "dispute or situation of tension" at the ACNA meeting. They are there and The Episcopal Church is going about its business preparing for General Convention. The ABC has no business sending a Pastoral Visitor as an observer. Someone else, perhaps, but this gives the Pastoral Visitor scheme a scheming sort of flavor.

The Archbishop of Canterbury is muddling and meddling and it would be helpful to know just how much of this is being done with full disclosure.

Archbishop to be Duncan has reported that Archbishop Williams has encouraged ACNA to apply for membership in the Anglican Communion. Canterbury has been talking to (then) Bishop Duncan for a long time and the assertion continues to be made that Canterbury did not just listen to those forming the Network, which became the Partnership, which became ACNA, but even suggested calling it a Network and using the word "confessing" in its full name. That was later dropped, but has reappeared in full flower. Now the talk is of a "confessing Anglicanism."

There has been much too much slack cut for the Archbishop of Canterbury who has played a quite strong monarchical hand in matters outside his venue. Or perhaps he didn't read the implications of the "no jurisdiction in this realm," bit in the Thirty Nine Articles.