The monitoring group of the Eames commission (the Archbishop of Canterbury's Commission on Communion and Women in the Episcopate) met in London this week. The meeting was chaired by the Most Revd Robin Eames, Primate of All Ireland who is Chairman of the Commission.

The purpose of the meeting was to consider the responses from the Provinces of the Communion to the work of the Commission and to assess the process of reception on women's ordination and consecration around the Communion.

Last March every Province of the Communion was sent a questionnaire by the Commission. This questionnaire asked Provinces to update the Commission on the situation of women's ordination and consecration in their Province; to report on the process of reception and relationships within the Province, between Provinces and ecumenically on this question; to report on the status of the debate of women's ordination and consecration in the Province; to state if the pastoral principles outlined in the Eames Commission had influenced the province's life and witness and finally to assess how these pastoral principles have assisted the unity and diversity of the Communion.

Two thirds of the Provinces of the Communion have responded to the questionnaire. The monitoring group will now prepare a report of these responses for the 1998 Lambeth Conference.