The annual meeting of the Archbishops and Presiding Bishops of the Anglican Communion will be held in Canterbury, England, April 10-16, 2002, hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd and Rt Hon George L Carey. This will be the final meeting of the Primates under the chairmanship of Archbishop George Carey. The Archbishop of Canterbury is spiritual leader of the world’s 70 million Anglicans.

Since 1978 the Archbishop of Canterbury, as primus inter pares or first among equals, has asked his fellow primates to come together annually for an opportunity to engage in conversation and discussion on their ministry in their own provinces and within the Communion. The gathering is in the nature of a retreat, with Eucharist and Bible Study being the framework of their being together, coming from 38 autonomous, yet inter-dependent, Churches.

The meeting, as in past years, is private. The primates will meet in the new International Study Centre (ISC) in the precincts of the Mother Church of the Anglican Communion, Christ Church Cathedral, Canterbury. The second phase of the ISC will be formally opened during the Primates’ Meeting by the Duke of Kent.