‘Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan.’
The successful conclusion of GAFCON 2018, ten years after its formal beginnings as a global Anglican movement that had its roots in, among others, the Lambeth Conference of 1988 of which Archbishop Manasses Kuria of Kenya said: ‘This was our Lambeth’ and (then Bishop) David Gitari of Kenya said: ‘Anyone who wants a resolution passed in 1998 will have to come to terms with the African bishops.’
At Lambeth 1998 Resolution 1.10 on human sexuality was passed by 526 votes to 70 with 45 abstentions. Bishop Herbert Thompson of Southern Ohio said the voting figures showed that it was not only Africans who voted for it since there were only 224 African bishops present. No motions were presented at Lambeth 2008. None are expected at Lambeth 2020. This feels like the actions of a government that knows it will lose a Commons vote.
