A statement from Bishop Leo Frade
on the Primates’ Communique

Beloved in Christ:

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I am sure by now many of you have read news of the meeting of the Anglican Primates, held this week in Ireland. Before I comment on the communiqué released by the primates at the conclusion of their deliberations, I would first urge you to read the communiqué itself, rather than relying on news reports, which have been incomplete and in some cases, inaccurate. You can find the complete text of the communiqué at http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/articles/39/00/acns3948.cfm .

As your bishop, I would like to make some brief comments on what the primates have said. First, you need to know that as a diocesan bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America I highly value our membership in the Anglican Communion and the bonds of affection that we share with our sisters and brothers around the world that form the other 37 Provinces of our Communion.

I also welcome the communiqué as a way to help preserve the unity of our Communion and as a step toward healing from our differences. I support the statement of our Presiding Bishop welcoming this opportunity that we are given, “knowing that the Episcopal Church has sought to act with integrity in response to the Spirit, and that we have worked, and continue to work, to honor the different perspectives very much present within our church.” (The complete text of Bishop Griswold’s statement can be found at

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_58742_ENG_HTM.htm?menu=undefined .)

We must note that the Primates and Moderators of the United Churches described their meeting as one where “generosity of spirit, and a readiness to respect one another's integrity, with Christian charity and abundant goodwill” was prevalent. The report shows an extraordinary effort of the Primates and Moderators of the United Churches to find the best way forward in a situation where there can be no winners or losers.

We still have urgent work do in our diocese and throughout the Episcopal Church, as well as around our Anglican Communion, to reach out to all with the Good News of the transforming love of Jesus Christ. The Primates addressed in their meeting the need for the church to work for the eradication of poverty, hunger and disease, especially HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria, which afflict so many of the world’s people. We are called by our Lord to recognize him in our brothers and sisters who are hungry, thirsty and hurting and to minister in his name to their need.

I ask all the members of our diocese to show the same “generosity of spirit and readiness to respect one another's integrity with Christian charity and abundant goodwill” that we have seen in the Primates. We are aware that the task ahead of us is hard, but with God's help we will be able to strengthen the bonds of understanding and affection and to fulfill the mission to which we are called by our Lord Jesus Christ.

+Leo Frade

updated 02/28/05