Bishops of the Church in Jamaica and The Cayman Islands (from left) Rt Rev Dr Howard Gregory (Montego Bay), Rt Rev Dr Robert Thompson (Kingston), Lord Bishop Rt Rev Dr Alfred Reid and Rt Rev Dr Harold Daniel (Mandeville) at the opening of the 138th synod. - Contributed

Bishops of the Anglican Church in Jamaica and The Cayman Islands are in London to attend the 15th Lambeth Conference of Bishops, starting tomorrow and ending on August 4.

The delegation includes the Lord Bishop, the Rt Rev Dr Alfred Reid; the Bishop of Mandeville, the Rt Rev Dr Harold Daniel; the Bishop of Montego Bay, the Rt Rev Dr Howard Gregory and the Bishop of Kingston, the Rt Rev Dr Robert Thompson. This will be the first time at Lambeth for Bishops Daniel, Gregory and Thompson. Bishop Reid attended twice before as a suffragan bishop (of Montego Bay). However, this will be his first time in the capacity of lord bishop.

The Lambeth Conference was first held in 1867 at a time when there was deep division in the Anglican Communion over issues of orthodoxy and authority. In order to dispel the tensions between factions led by the then Archbishop of Canterbury Charles Thomas Langley and the bishop of Natal, South Africa, on the recommendation of the Canadian Church, a conference was organised to provide an avenue for discussion.

Held every ten years

Since then, the Lambeth Conference, to which Anglican bishops from around the world are invited and may choose to attend or not, has been held every 10 years. In the past, there have been vigorous debates about apartheid, world economics, ministering to the poor and the ordination of women to the offices of priest and of bishop, to name a few. This time, the main contention is about human sexuality and homosexuality, in particular. This has been aggravated by matters in the Episcopal Church of the United States following the ordination of the self-confessed 'gay' Bishop Gene Robinson. This has led to splinter groups forming in parts of Africa as well as the US, creating fears that the Anglican Communion will not be able to overcome the sharp differences which have developed, leading to fracture and division.

The Church in the Province of the West Indies, of which the Jamaican Diocese is a part, has already stated its position that, while it disapproves of the practice of homosexuality, which is contrary to the teachings of the Bible, the Church has a responsibility to minister to all persons. Not everyone holds to that view and so the controversy rages.

There will be no agenda and no resolutions at this conference. Rather, the participants will engage in Bible study (focus on St John's Gospel) and discussions of the various issues presented.

Proceed in faith

Asked whether he expects this Lambeth conference to be able to resolve the thorny issue of homosexuality and the Church, Bishop Reid says it is unlikely that such a contentious matter will be resolved over the three weeks of the conference. "However", he says, "we have to proceed in faith. This is no different from the past when the Church had to face other difficult challenges. We believe that under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will be led to find a way forward."

Besides the bishops, the Jamaican delegation includes Gloria Reid, Canon Judith Daniel, Charmaine Gregory and Mrs Charmaine Thompson who will participate in a spouses programme. There is also a youth gathering at which the diocese is being represented by Anglican Youth Fellowship leaders Lisa Golding of the Kingston Parish Church and Kirk Brown of the Cathedral Church, Spanish Town.