The Standing Committee of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney has given its full support to Archbishop of Sydney Dr Peter Jensen’s decision not to attend the Lambeth Conference.

The decision was announced earlier this month and this was standing committee’s first meeting since then.

The committee stated it “wholeheartedly supports the Archbishop and his Bishops in their decisions relating to Lambeth and GAFCON, recognising the cost to them of such decisions.”

Earlier, Archbishop Peter Jensen had read a statement to Standing Committee on the reasons behind the decision, and referred to a letter from five primates who had declared that they cannot, for reasons of conscience, attend Lambeth.

Dr Jensen said he was encouraged by what he described as the ‘gracious remarks’ of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who recently told the General Synod in England that he respects “the consciences of those who have said they do not feel able to attend because there will be those present who have in their view acted against the disciplinary and doctrinal consensus of the communion.