[Anglican Communion News Service] Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has written to the primates of Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda to tell them that his invitation to bishops from their provinces to attend the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops remains open. In a joint letter with the secretary general of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, Welby said: “God calls us to unity and not to conflict so that the world may know he came from the Father. That is the very purpose of the church globally.”

“Boycotts do not proclaim Christ,” the two Anglican leaders said. “Those who stay away cannot be heard, they will lose influence and the chance of shaping the future. All of us will be the poorer spiritually as a result of your absence.”

His letter was in response to a joint statement issued by the three primates – Archbishop Henry Ndukuba of Nigeria, Archbishop Laurent Mbanda of Rwanda, and Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba of Uganda – in response to the Communiqué from the Primates’ Meeting at Lambeth Palace, London, in March, which they did not attend.

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