From "The Lead" - The Living Church Splits a hair

I was just sent a link to the following article on The Episcopal Cafe's The Lead which offers some helpful comments about Bishop Robinson and his banning (or not, not at least technically) by the Church of England....

From The Episcopal Cafe:

The Living Church splits a hair

We are linking to this report in the increasingly tendentious Living Church to correct the mistaken impression it attempts to create.

George Conger writes that Rowan Williams has not been banned from preaching in England. This is technically correct. Williams doesn't have the authority to ban Robinson. However, Robinson told Williams several years ago that he would not preach without Williams' permission. Williams did not grant it. And in an email he sent to Robinson earlier this week he said that he did not think that "any extenstion" of the previous arrangement "in terms of permissions" would be appropriate because any public celebration "or even a sermon" would create controversy for Williams and whichever bishops gave Robinson permission to preach.

the Living Church says Bishop Robinson was not banned...

Was he banned?
Was he banned and it was rescinded?
Was he never banned?

Now it seems maybe Bishop Robinson wasn't banned at all...hmmmm, this is all very strange, check out the article in the Living Church...HERE

No Pulpit Ban for Bishop Robinson

Posted on: May 2, 2008

Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire has not been banned from pulpits in the Church of England according to a spokesman for the Archbishop of Canterbury, who denied press speculation that the Archbishop Rowan Williams was attempting to silence Bishop Robinson.

A press officer confirmed on May 2 that Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams had not issued Bishop Robinson a license to officiate in the Province of Canterbury. However, Church of England canon law does not grant the archbishop the authority to ban preachers, the spokesman noted.

While traveling in Britain to promote his book, Bishop Robinson told the BBC “in the past [Archbishop Williams] has... declined to give me permission to preach and to celebrate the Holy Communion and I would never do so without his permission.” Episcopal News Service reported April 30 that Archbishop Williams would not permit Bishop Robinson “to preach or preside at a Eucharist while he is in England, according to reports.”

Under the Church of England’s Canon C17.6 “by statute law it belongs to the archbishop to give permission to officiate within his province to any minister who has been ordained” by an “overseas” province of the Anglican Communion. All visiting clergy who seek to perform the sacraments within the Province of Canterbury must secure the permission of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The same rules apply for the Province of York in the northern part of England. But another canon gives the authority to preach to a parish incumbent, with the permission of the diocesan bishop.

Was there a rescinding of the ban, or was there never a ban at all, or is this article in the Living Church not based on credible sources?