Eyes on Lambeth

Island music

tess sison — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:45:09 +0000

The Melanesian brothers and sisters treated harried journalists to some wonderful music from the Solomon Islands shortly before the regular media briefing at 1:30 p.m. What a balm for the soul it was to hear them play the bamboo drums and flute and to watch them dance gracefully under a tree on the grounds near the [...]

Narrowcasting

tess sison — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:37:44 +0000

From our very limited view - that is the press conference site aptly called The Missing Link - we are being given an image of a Lambeth Conference that is going along just dandy, thank you very much. Today’s discussions were about the much-ballyhooed topic of human sexuality. Well, folks, we are told everything’s quiet [...]

Toronto alert

tess sison — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:28:26 +0000

We’ve been told that one of the speaker’s at this afternoon’s press conference on sexuality will be the diocesan bishop of Toronto, Colin Johnson. There will, of course, be a story on the Journal Web site about the press confence, where we will be briefed about how the bishops have responded to the following questions [...]

Weary and silly

tess sison — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:14:15 +0000

We would have completed two General Synods plus some by now. Today, the 16th day of the 20th day of the conference, weariness is setting in on most of us. I have seen some men/women in purple skip some sessions - they either sneak into the student residences where they are billeted (perhaps for a [...]

Spouses’ photo shoot

tess sison — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:45:54 +0000

The Mighty 18

tess sison — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:45:25 +0000

Watch out for our story in the Anglican Journal about the 18 women bishops attending the Lambeth Conference. That’s 18 out of 670 bishops. After the main bishops’ photo shoot, the women bishops were photographed separately on the same grassy spot where the 11 women bishops stood in 1998, the first time they were invited to the conference. [...]

Where’s Gene?

tess sison — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:00:08 +0000

The fears expressed internally by some Lambeth organizers that Gene Robinson, the openly gay bishop of New Hampshire who was excluded from the Lambeth Conference, would take the attention away from the conference are looking more and more unfounded each day. Sure, he has stepped foot at the conference Marketplace, which is open to the public, (and [...]

Bishops’ photo shoot

tess sison — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 12:23:59 +0000

Bishops’ photo shoot

tess sison — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:59:05 +0000

The official photo session of bishops this afternoon felt like Commencement Day. Most bishops opted to wear their convocation robes and everyone was in high spirits. Proud families - in this case, the bishops’ spouses, who were in a roped-in area couldn’t stop taking photographs. After four (or was it six shots?), more private photo sessions [...]

Kent Village

tess sison — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:08:11 +0000

The University of Kent is beginning to resemble a village. Halfway through the 20-day conference, delegates, participants and “others” (that would be us, in the media), are getting accustomed to their surroundings. We are settling in, so to speak. Even though most of us miss home, we’re not as catatonic as we were last week. I [...]

Say cheese

tess sison — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 20:47:13 +0000

Tomorrow, Saturday, bishops and their spouses will dress in their Sunday best for their offical Lambeth photograph. The spouses will get their turn first at 11 a.m.; the spouses, at 2 p.m. Canon Jim Rosenthal, director of communications for the Anglican Communion office, reminded the spouses about the photo session (rain or shine), saying that only [...]

Playing catch up

tess sison — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:39:29 +0000

Anecdotes I’ve not been able to share: ****** We bumped into the bishop of Colombo, Duleep de Chickera, just as he emerged from a workout at the University of Kent’s sports centre the other day. If you recall, Bishop Duleep, whose church enjoys good relations with the Anglican Church of Canada, delivered the opening service sermon at Canterbury [...]

Photos - Lambeth Walk

tess sison — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:26:37 +0000

Photos - Lambeth Scenes

tess sison — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:34:39 +0000

Apologies

tess sison — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:38:49 +0000

Apologies for not being able to write more than I had originally planned. Between running here and there to venues so far apart from each other, travelling to and from the university (no accommodations available on campus), taking photographs and seeking out interviewees, our days typically end at 2 a.m. Not a great time, I discover, for [...]

Photos: Opening Service Photos Part 2

tess sison — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 21:58:23 +0000

Photos: Lambeth Opening Service

tess sison — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:27:48 +0000

Help!

tess sison — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:22:28 +0000

I’m posting an initial set of photos taken during the Opening Service at Canterbury Cathedral. Patience is requested if some have no identifying captions — it’s not easy to get the names of all 657 bishops, plus their spouses. They also have a habit of hiding their purple lanyards. If you know any, please, please [...]

Photos - Lambeth Day three (and more)

tess sison — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:10:29 +0000

Lambeth bunnies

tess sison — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:37:57 +0000

I haven’t had time just yet to inquire about the group of bunnies that have been hopping about the open green spaces of the University of Kent. They are quite a sight as they nibble on the grass and occasionally hop in circles (performing a liturgical dance?). Lambeth cartoonist-in-residence Dave Walker http://www.cartoonchurch.com/blog/ has a theory: they have been released [...]