Lambeth - speech given by the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace

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Lambeth Daily
Keep the Promise
Posted On : July 24, 2008 11:46 AM | Posted By : Admin ACO
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Transcript of the speech given by the Archbishop 
of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace

Good morning everyone.

And a very, very warm welcome to Lambeth Palace. 
I’m delighted that we’re able to welcome you to 
our modest home here. Particularly delighted by 
the solidarity that has been shown in this 
morning’s walk, which I think has been a 
memorable experience. And like all of you I’m 
sure, I’m very, very grateful for those from 
other Christian Churches and other faith 
communities who have so generously joined us this morning to witness together.

But before we move into some slightly longer 
reflections on where we are and what we hope from 
today, I would like to present to our guest of 
honour today, the Prime Minister of the United 
Kingdom, Gordon Brown, a letter which I have 
written expressing something of the Anglican 
Communion’s resolution on the subject of the 
Millennium Development Goals in the light of the 
many meetings and statements over the last few 
years which have sought to express our commitment 
to the goals which have been defined by the 
world’s Governments, goals which have been 
generously and faithfully supported by the Prime 
Minister and others here, and which we believe 
today will help take forward still further. Prime 
Minister, on behalf of all of us
 [letter is presented]

Prime Minster, honoured guests, brothers and 
sisters. One of the greatest paradoxes of the 
world we live in today, is that in many ways the 
world seems to be smaller than ever it was; and 
yet the divisions between people in the world are 
larger than they have ever been. Communications 
means that now we know straight away of the 
sufferings and the needs of people on the other 
side of the world, and yet the gulf seems to grow 
deeper all the time. When the Millennium 
Development Goals were identified in the 
Millennium year, and when so many of the 
Governments of the world signed up to that 
vision, it was an attempt to bridge those great 
gulfs between rich and poor, and an attempt to 
say that the world could have a common future 
resting on justice and compassion. It was the 
moment of recognition, that unless we addressed 
these great gulfs between human beings, we cannot 
expect a future of stability or welfare for any of us.

As the world grows smaller the truth is that the 
suffering and the need of anyone in our global 
community is going to be, sooner or later, the 
suffering and the need of everyone in our global 
community. This is not, and should not, be a 
surprise for those of us who hold the Christian 
Faith, who have believed for two thousand years 
that when one part of the body suffers, all 
suffer. But it is also a vision that is shared by 
many people of Faith and commitment throughout 
the world and throughout our own land.

Today’s event is not only an event for us who are 
Anglicans and who are gathered for the Lambeth 
Conference. We have shared some of the planning 
and the vision with other groups, not least the 
network called ‘Micah Challenge’. This 
international network of Christians concerned 
about development issues rests upon the vision 
defined by the prophet Micah in the Hebrew 
scriptures: What does the Lord require of you? To 
do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with your God.

That is the challenge we seek to confront today. 
We are committing ourselves, as Bishops, as 
Anglican believers, as people of Faith to do 
justice; that is, to seek systems in our world 
that will give to each person what they deserve 
in the eyes of God. Not what they deserve because 
of their prosperity or success, but what they 
deserve because they are made in God’s image and 
demand our respect, our love and our service 
without qualification. That is justice. We must love mercy. We must be

people whose compassion is readily stirred by any 
member of our human family. People who feel that 
if compassion is not exercised and shared, we all 
become less human. And we must walk humbly with 
our God. We must recognise our limitations. We 
must recognise that we all depend on our love, a 
gift, a commitment from God, greater than any 
words can express, which is the energy that 
sustains our vision. Humility, gratitude and hope 
all come together in that recognition. That is 
the challenge, that is what we seek to face 
today, that is what we say “yes” to in our gathering today.

And as I introduce the Prime Minister to speak, I 
want to say that we are gratefully aware of the 
way in which he and many in our Government have 
continued to make this Micah shaped vision a 
priority. And we long for our own Government to 
keep up the pressure on Governments around the 
world to rise to the challenge that is set before 
them. We know that the special session of the 
United Nations in September is going to be a 
crucial moment for strengthening the resolve of 
the nations of the world to tackle the Millennium 
Development Goals. We all know with sorrow, with 
great regret, how far the achievement of those 
goals has slipped behind because of all kinds of 
circumstances. We would want to challenge the 
leaders of our world to be faithful to the 
promises they have made: the commitment to the 
poor, the willingness to do justice, to love 
mercy and to walk humbly. And so Prime Minister 
we thank you very, very deeply for your 
willingness to be with us this morning. It means, 
I know, a great deal to all who are gathered 
here. We are grateful for the commitment that you 
have consistently shown to the Millennium 
Development Goals. I have been privileged to know 
a little of how very personally you feel those 
challenges, and how much your own passion is to 
see these things happen. So it’s with very great 
pleasure and gratitude that I invite you now to address us. Prime Minster.