By Nan Cobbey and Carol Barnwell
Lambeth Conference Communications

"We are always the invisible Anglicans," Bishop Leo Frade of Honduras declared Thursday afternoon as Hispanic bishops from 20 dioceses gathered to have their photograph taken behind Rutherford College, and to make a statement to the press.

Bishop Frade said that the Hispanic bishops have met twice during the Lambeth Conference. At both meetings, they shared a sense of being left out.

"It's a general attitude, a tone," said Bishop Frade, who complained about insufficient translators and translations.

Although he is pleased and "humbled" to be part of the team planning the Bible study for the conference, Bishop Sergio Carranza-Gomez of Mexico said, "We feel ignored."

Between worlds

In his view, the agenda at the conference seems centered on Africa or the Northern Hemisphere. "We don't feel part of the Third World like Africa," said Bishop Carranza-Gomez. "We are caught in the middle."

Bishop Carlos Lopez-Lozano of the Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church said he was disappointed that so little Latin music was performed. "It practically doesn't exist in the liturgies," he said. "We feel a little discriminated against . . . that our point of view as Latinos is not particularly understood. We haven't as much influence in this conference as the North Americans and British."

"We are like Cinderella-we're still in the kitchen," said Bishop Julio Holguin-Khoury of the Dominican Republic with a grin.

Bishop Holguin said he was pleased with the contacts he has made with bishops from around the world, which he called "a blessing," but he, also, lamented the dearth of translators. "Most of life here is spent in small groups" where translators are unavailable. His Bible study included six bishops from Africa and one from Canada in addition to himself and the accents were "very difficult" to understand, he said.

Bishop Hector Tito Zavala of Chile in the Province of the Southern Cone, attending his first Lambeth Conference, hoped Latin American bishops would be more involved in both the issues and the planning of the conference next time.

The bishops are hoping to initiate a call for a special millennium project during the conference sessions next week.