Hamilton Spectator

Although Williams’ visit falls during the April 16-20 meeting of the Canadian House of Bishops, he is not scheduled to speak at the meeting. Instead, Williams will spend his brief visit in prayer and retreat with Anglican clergy at Mount Carmel Retreat Centre in Niagara Falls.

Williams came under fire in 2005 for skipping a high-level meeting between Canadian and American Anglican bishops in Windsor, Ont. Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, the Most Rev. Andrew Hutchison, said at the time that Williams was trying to steer clear of the political hot potato of blessing same-sex marriages.

At the Niagara Falls meeting, candidates will be chosen to replace Hutchison as national Primate. A new national bishop will be chosen June 22 at a week-long General Synod meeting in Winnipeg.

The Canadian Anglican Journal says the trip has been in the works for a year:

“We have had the invitation in the works for over a year; we struggled with his calendar and we received the answer today (Jan. 26). We’re delighted,” said Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.

The move is significant since Archbishop Williams has come under criticism for avoiding the U.S. and Canadian churches since his election in 2002 and since the Episcopal Church and Anglican Church of Canada moved toward more-liberal views on homosexuality at about the same time.