A TOTAL of 38 Anglican Archbishops from around the world will be at Canterbury Cathedral for a meeting in April. The church leaders, who come from the Philippines to Brazil to the West Indies, represent around 73 million people.

Called the Anglican Communion, it is considered a retreat for the primates and gives them time for reflection among each other.

It will take place from April 9 to 16 behind closed doors. All primates will be robed in their vestments for a service on April 14, led by the Archbishop of Kenya, the Most Rev Dr David Gitari. The discussions will culminate with the official renaming and re-launch of the Cathedral Education Centre as the International Study Centre by the Duke of Kent.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, will preside over the meeting. Cathedral spokesman Christopher Robinson said: "This reflects Canterbury as the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican community. We are delighted that with the new International Study Centre the Archbishop can host a meeting of all these other Archbishops in his own Cathedral just before he retires."

Communications director for the Anglican Communion, Canon James Rosenthal said: "They come here because Canterbury is considered the Mother Church in the Anglican Communion worldwide."

Last year homosexuality was a major issue for the primates when they met at North Carolina. There is no set agenda but many and varied issues will be discussed such as Aids education, international debt, and the ramifications caused by September 11.

Mr Rosenthal said: "Places like Pakistan, the Sudan, Nigeria and Jerusalem and the Middle East are facing dangerous and difficult times.

"I know these matters are in the hearts and minds of people in the Communion."

Thanks will be offered to Dr Carey for his ministry. "Archbishop Carey is much admired in the Communion and his leadership in the group has been much appreciated by many people," he added.