Is it Pope Rowan I?

Well, Mr. Williams has decided that he really is the first supreme pontiff of the Anglican Communion and has attempted, without any authority to do so, to seize all power from the Communion.

Of course, we know his first act - send down TEC. Here is the pertinent bit of the epistle from Canon Kearon:

Last Thursday I sent letters to members of the Inter Anglican ecumenical dialogues who are from the Episcopal Church informing them that their membership of these dialogues has been discontinued. In doing so I want to emphasise again as I did in those letters the exceptional service of each and every person to that important work and to acknowledge without exception the enormous contribution each person has made.

I have also written to the person from the Episcopal Church who is a member of the Inter Anglican Standing Commission on Unity Faith and Order (IASCUFO), withdrawing that person’s membership and inviting her to serve as a Consultant to that body.

I have written to the Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada to ask whether its General Synod or House of Bishops has formally adopted policies that breach the second moratorium in the Windsor Report, authorising public rites of same-sex blessing.

At the same time I have written to the Primate of the Southern Cone, whose interventions in other provinces are referred to in the Windsor Continuation Group Report asking him for clarification as to the current state of his interventions into other provinces.

These are the actions which flow immediately from the Archbishop’s Pentecost Letter.

Notice not a word about the African princes.This, in my opinion, makes him quite untrustworthy. Rowan fails to "discipline" the African churches because he knows it will get no press. By appearing to send own the American church, he is going to get publicity and appear to "mean business." And, also, at the same time, delude himself into believing the African churches will suddenly come flocking back to the Mother Country and Mother Church wailing wearing sackcloth and ashes as symbols of their repentance. He still doesn't get it that they wouldn't piss on him if he were on fire, as my grandfather was wont to say.

But the interesting thing is that TEC has only been removed from minor committees that really don't do anything and TEC is still in communion with the Church of England.

So, what is Rowan doing? Well, my guess is that he's testing the water. All dictators start with very small moves to see if they can get away with their actions. History is full of examples. He has acted but his action is about the least possible action he can make. It's a fishing expedition, really. Also, he had to do something to pay back KJS for being such an upstart rude American woman and daring to make him look like un homme sot incompétent.

So there you have it. Where is Henry VIII or Elizabeth when we really then one of them to poke this git in the eye and send him packing? I have a feeling that Rowan may be surprised that his contempt for TEC unifies our members.

Thank God TEC has ++KJS a person with both a spine and the conviction to stand up to abuse.

Please read an article by the Rev'd James Stockton at the Daily Episcopalian on the recent developments.

UPDATE: There is a bit of the letter that I didn't "catch" on first reading:

Secondly, to ask the question of whether maintaining within the fellowship of one’s Provincial House of Bishops, a bishop who is exercising episcopal ministry in another province without the expressed permission of that province or the local bishop, constitutes an intervention and is therefore a breach of the third moratorium.

Williams is using Mr. Kearon for an exploratory mission for Duncan's schismatics. - don't forget that ACNA meets this week.