New Westminster Bishop Spins Lambeth Conference to Canadian Anglicans

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=9155

[VirtueOnline] 9 Oct 2008--The ultra-liberal Bishop of New Westminster, Michael Ingham told Anglicans in his diocese that two African bishops, one from Kenya and the other from Rwanda, were threatened by their archbishops if they showed up at the Lambeth Conference earlier this year.

In a tape-recorded message sent to VirtueOnline, Ingham told his audience that an unnamed well-educated Kenyan bishop from a rural and poor diocese was told he would get into trouble with his archbishop (Benjamin Nzimbi) and suffer the consequences if he attended Lambeth 2008.

Ingham said another bishop (unnamed) from Rwanda told the same story saying that the bishop also wanted to bring his wife. "She was set to come when she got a phone call threatening harm to their children. She stayed behind and did not attend." His province is led by Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini whose province also boycotted the Lambeth conference.

Ingham said that many African bishops wanted to attend, but were prevented from doing so by their primates. "They were continually calling the one African bishop on cell phones and e-mailing colleagues trying to find out what was happening at the Lambeth Conference," said Ingham.

"The co-called boycott of the Lambeth Conference by 200 or so bishops who did not appear was not voluntary. Many wanted to attend but were not allowed," he said.