According to VOL, while one Primate has already left Canterbury, Foley Beach is still part of the proceedings and the Primates intend to continue in the gathering until the bitter end.

I also understand from another source that, contrary to a previous report, some think that the longer the meeting drags on, the more favourable it is to Welby’s reconciliation machinations:

It should have ended by lunchtime today with nine or so GAFCON primates walking out.

It did not happen. By midday it was clear the GAFCON Primates were not ready to leave; powerful forces were at work to keep them all at the table led by the reconciling voice of Canon David Porter, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Director of Reconciliation. No one has been ejected, but no one ever thought that would happen, but it is incorrect to say that no one has left. (I am not permitted to say which Primate).

[…..]

Deep concerns have been expressed that Archbishop Welby has substituted a management style for ecclesial leadership but not the spiritual leadership needed to navigate these perilous spiritual waters.

Clearly unity has not been achieved. The conservatives have neither caved in nor achieved their goals, but there is enormous pressure being put on them to accommodate to Welby. There is enormous frustration all round.

Archbishop Beach is clearly visible and was present in the quire tonight at Evensong, but that proves nothing. Not all the primates attend Evensong so that also proves nothing. He has been participating fully, according to my source.

Tomorrow, Thursday and the subject will be the ACNA and Foley Beach. What will they do to him or for him is the question. What leverage does Welby have to include him with revisionist archbishops like Canadian Primate Fred Hiltz wanting him gone?

This I know, Archbishop beach will not accommodate anything to appease the liberal revisionist western primates. He will concede nothing like a federation or commonwealth or two integrities living side by side like a divorced couple still living in the same house. He has been abundantly clear on that score and he has the total support of Primates like Nicholas Okoh of Nigeria, Eliud Wabukala of Kenya and Stanley Ntagali of Uganda. Perhaps others. After all he got brutalized by TEC so what is in it for him to cave into anything TEC or the ACoC would offer even coming from the “reconciling” hand of Justin Welby.

I have been told that the primates will go the full course that is, we won’t truly know anything till Friday when all will be made known. Stay tuned.

Another report from the Telegraph, has the Primates complaining of being “treated like children”, of being separated from one another to prevent collusion and of being made to hand over their mobile phones. I never thought I’d see the day, but it would appear that Anglicanism is being transformed into a cult under the auspices of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The facilitators have been accused of “manipulation“, the process as being “rigged” and the talks as being a “weasel process“. In other words, just like a typical ACoC or TEC synod. The facilitating sounds like one typically employed by large corporations to create an illusion of activity, line the pockets of the consultant facilitators and nudge participants to the predefined conclusion. Having worked for large companies for almost 50 years and being compelled to participate in many of these activities, I made my peace with the exercise by learning to doze with my eyes open while consoling myself that I was being paid to perfect the technique:

The Archbishop of Canterbury was last night accused treating African archbishops “like children” in an attempt to avoid a full public walkout during make-or-break talks on the future of the worldwide Anglican church.

Sources close to the behind-closed-doors negotiations in Canterbury claimed a handful of clerics had already temporarily taken “time out” from the negotiations but returned to the discussions to avoid splitting the traditionalist camp.

Up to 15 of the 38 prelates taking part in the talks are also understood to have withdrawn from joint prayer services in Canterbury Cathedral in a sign of the depth of the divisions over issues such as homosexuality.

But sources claimed that fears of a dramatic public walkout on the first few days of the talks had been avoided by negotiation tactics involving separating people into small groups, unable even to communicate with each other for most of the time.

Clerics are understood to have been asked to hand in mobile phones for much of the time during the talks, overseen by two trained “facilitators” specialising in “reconciliation” tactics.

One said that the traditionalists had been so effectively segregated that some had even resorted to holding snatched meetings in each other’s rooms in their accommodation at night.

“They have been treated like children,” the source added.

“The whole process has been rigged from the start.”

He branded the talks a “weasel” process which could not ultimately prevent a permanent schism in Anglicanism.

Another added: “There has been a combination of deference and manipulation.

“They have not been allowed to speak to each other

“They are honourable men and if you are part of the process you have to stay in the process.”

[…..]

one source close to the traditionalists said: “There is a 90 per cent chance that the schism that took place with the consecration of Gene Robinson will now be full articulated by Friday teatime – with or without people walking out of the gate.

“By the end of the week there will be some who say that the version of Christianity practised by the Episcopal Church and the Church of England is not something we can be part of.”

Here is some late news sure to set the teeth of Fred Hiltz and Michael Curry on edge – never a bad thing:

What can be reported is Anglican Church in North America primate Foley Beach has become a de facto primate of the communion, at this point in the meeting. He has participated fully in the gathering and contrary to assertions made by Lambeth Palace staffers and some primates in the weeks before the meeting, he has not been asked to withdraw after the first day, nor shunted to one corner to be talked about — AI’s sources are unanimous in saying the ACNA archbishop is a full participant.

And, the momentum of the meeting through Wednesday was favorable towards the GAFCON faction. Several undecided primates are now known to have cast their lot with the conservatives — one writing to his bishops that he had joined the side “fighting the Americans and Canadians”.