Faith

Anglican bishops from across the globe have gathered in Canterbury for the Lambeth Conference.

Representatives from more than 150 countries are joining together at the University Of Kent for the event which takes place just once a decade.

For 20 days, those attending the gathering can worship, study and discuss issues together.

Dr Rowan Williams is hosting the conference

Event boycott

More than 800 bishops were invited to the conference by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, but around 250 have boycotted the event because of controversy surrounding the appointment of homosexual bishops.

Before the conference began, the Diocese Of Norwich organised a tour of Norfolk for the Archbishop Of Hong Kong, The Most Reverend Paul Kwong, the Archbishop Of Papua New Guinea, The Most Reverend James Ayong, and the female Bishop Of Olympia, The Right Reverend Nedi Rivera.

The appointment of homosexual bishops is a controversial subject in Hong Kong, but the city's been leading the way when it comes to appointing women.

"Hong Kong had the first woman priest in the Anglican Communion way back in the '40s so I have no trouble with that," said Archbishop Paul Kwong.

Working with other faiths

A range of other subjects to be discussed at the conference include talks on engaging with a multi-faith world.

Archbishop Paul Kwong told BBC Radio Norfolk the Anglican church has a well-established relationship with other faiths in Hong Kong.

"There are six major faiths, but we get together quite regularly because there is a kind of fellowship in which we all join together very often," he said.

However, The Most Revd James Ayong has little experience of working with other denominations.

He said: "We are a Christian country and we have no experience of the presence of other religions in Papua New Guinea, but the world is growing and the church also is growing.

"I won't predict what will happen but being Christians, we will learn to live together with others who come, so long as they do respect us with our faith, and we'll move on together."

For some Western representatives, the conference is about fighting for homosexual and female bishops.

But the Anglican leaders of Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and a group from southern South America boycotted the conference in protest of this change, while for some bishops like the Archbishop Of Papua New Guinea it's a "listening process."

Topics for discussion

The different arms of the church will be celebrating their common ground by examining social justice, the environment and violence against women.

After the disaster in Burma and violence in Darfur, the Bishop Of Olympia, The Rt Revd Nedi Rivera, worries these issues could end up on the back burner.

"I'm very worried that those aren't the things we're concerned about," she said.

"I'm hoping that as we get together and hear the struggles of hunger and of tragedies in various parts of the world that we'll listen and say, 'Oh this is what's important and we'll respond', I think the possibility is there, we just have to open ourselves to the grace to hear it."

The Archbishop Of Canterbury hopes those attending will become more confident in their Anglican identity and gain enthusiasm for the Church's mission.

Although the party of leaders was looking forward to attending the conference, the group was pleased that they'd been able to make the trip to Norwich to cement their relationships locally.

"The church in Norwich is our link, we link with the Diocese Of Norwich," said The Most Revd James Ayong. "Being here now is, to me, living among friends."