Saturday, September 23, 2006
Camp Allen Summit
If you want the statement that was issued by the Camp Allen bishops, or information about the meeting, go to Stand Firm in Faith, TitusOneNine, or even the episcopal news service. Their statement was too weak to be published at dcny.
THE ROAD TO LAMBETH
The following draft report was commissioned by the Primates of the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA) in February 2006; it was received with gratitude by the CAPA Primates on 19 September 2006 and commended for study and response to the churches of the provinces in Africa.
The Anglican Communion is at a crossroads. The idea of a crossroads – a meeting and parting of two ways – is woven into the fabric of Scripture. The people of Israel is confronted with the choice of ways – the way of the Covenant or the way of idolatry – and more often than not choose the latter (Jeremiah 6:16). So too Jesus describes a narrow road that leads to life and a broad avenue to perdition (Matthew 7:13). Hence the church must choose to walk in the light and turn from the darkness of sin and error (1 John 1:6-7).
The Church in Africa and the Anglican Communion
We are the voice of the Anglican churches in Africa. We are grateful for our Anglican heritage, brought to us by missionaries committed to the Scriptures and inspired by our Lord’s Great Commission to evangelize the nations. We are equally grateful to be sons and daughters of Africa, whose ancient cultures prepared a rich spiritual soil for the Gospel to blossom. We hope these two inheritances can be kept together, but events of the past decade have called this hope into question.
Although the Anglican Communion came into being at a time of theological and ecclesiastical crisis – the so-called Colenso case – the Lambeth Conference of bishops has by and large managed to avoid doctrinal disputes and disciplinary cases that might have led to controversy and even disunity. Instead the Communion has functioned under the broad umbrella of biblical faith, historic order and Anglican worship, as summarized in the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral. Although there have been tensions from time to time, e.g., over the ordination of women, most Anglican churches have been content to live with what seemed to be secondary differences. Until now.
At the same time, huge shifts have occurred in the constituency of the Communion and the Lambeth Conference in the past half century. What began as a colonial council of expatriate bishops has become at least in theory a parliament of equals. Its members’ complexion has changed from all-white and Anglo to largely non-white, Latino, African and Asian. Its Provinces have become self-governing. And its evangelical and spiritual dynamism is centred in what is now called the Global South or the majority world. While these changes have affected the demography of the Communion, they have not been reflected in its governance, which has stayed put or even gone in the opposite direction. In particular, the advent of the Anglican Communion Office has concentrated power in the hands of those who “pay the piper.” It is remarkable, for example, how few Global South church leaders are appointed to positions of real authority in the Communion.
The growth of the global Communion has spawned a number of alternative structures. The foremost of these is the Primates’ meeting, which has emerged in the past twenty years as the senate of the Communion. In addition, regional associations and gatherings, such as CAPA, CAPAC and the South-South Encounters are bringing together majority-world Anglicans to address their particular needs.
The Current Crisis
The opposing trends noted above – the growth of the churches of the Global South and the tight control of power by the Anglo-American bloc – came to a head at the Lambeth Conference in 1998. The presenting cause was the acceptance of homosexuality in the Western societies and churches. Despite a determined effort by the Communion bureaucracy to blunt the issue, the Global South bishops managed to get a Resolution to the floor which stated that homosexual practice is “contrary to Scripture” and “cannot be advised.” Resolution 1.10 on Human Sexuality was approved by the Conference by an overwhelming majority.
The importance of this Resolution cannot be overstated. By using the phrase “contrary to Scripture,” the bishops indicated that homosexual practice violates the first principle of the Communion’s Quadrilateral and indeed the fundamental basis of Anglican Christianity (as expressed in Articles VI and XX). They were saying: “Here is an issue on which we cannot compromise without losing our identity as a Christian body.” Such was the understanding of the Global South bishops, and hence they were taken aback when Resolution 1.10 was immediately ignored and denounced by bishops of the Episcopal Church.
In the subsequent Primates’ meetings, the Global South bishops have repeatedly called on the Episcopal Church USA and now the Anglican Church of Canada to repent and bring their practice in line with Scripture and with the mind of the Lambeth Conference. The African attitude toward the actions of the North American churches has been consistent throughout this crisis. It is based on several assumptions:
* the supreme authority of Scripture as the ultimate standard of faith and life (C-LQ 1);
* the clarity of the Church’s teaching on “the unchangeable Christian standard” of marriage between one man and one woman (Lambeth Resolution 66 [1920]);
* the practice of homosexuality as a sign of fallenness and a sin separating one from salvation (Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Ephesians 5:3-5);
* the need for repentance by individuals who sin, even more so for those who teach sin as blessing (Matthew 5:19; 18:6); and
* the requirement that believers not associate with openly immoral church members (1 Corinthians 5:9-13; 2 Thessalonians 3:14).
The crisis reached fever pitch in 2003 when the Diocese of New Hampshire (USA) elected an openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church confirmed him as Bishop, and the Presiding Bishop presided at his consecration. The Episcopal Church could not have sent a clearer signal that it was going its own way, and nothing would stop it.
After the Robinson election, many provinces chose the only instrument of discipline available: declaration of impaired or broken Communion. In February 2004, thirteen Global South Primates, including eight from Africa, denounced the actions of the Episcopal Church as a “direct repudiation of the clear teaching of the Holy Scriptures, historic faith and order of the church.” In April 2004, the CAPA bishops pledged to reject donations from pro-gay American diocese.
A Word to the Primates and the Archbishop of Canterbury
The principal body through which the churches of the Global South have expressed their distress over these events has been the Primates’ Meeting, where they are well-represented. The Primates of the Global South have not simply denounced the agenda of the North American churches. They have also sought to find a way forward. In 2002, two Primates proposed a careful scheme of inner-Communion discipline (To Mend the Net). The ecclesiastical politicians, seeking to avoid such discipline, managed to get this proposal sidelined.
They could not, however, avoid the storm of protest that followed the Robinson election. In response to this crisis, the Archbishop of Canterbury called an emergency Primates’ meeting in London in October 2003. Many Global South Primates were ready at that point to excommunicate the violators, but in the end they agreed to Archbishop Williams’s plan to form a Commission and receive a Report one year later. From the point of view of the African bishops, the Windsor Report was considered a vehicle by which the offending churches might realize the enormity of their actions and turn back. It was never seen by us as a process that would preempt the decisions of the Lambeth Conference or the Primates. And the Report, while restricted in its scope and cautious in its language, did present a thorough exposé of the ways in which the Episcopal Church arrogated to itself unilaterally a practice condemned in Scripture, tradition and the Resolutions of this Communion.
The churches in Africa, while grateful for the overall judgement of the Windsor Report, felt that it often did not go far enough in spelling out the needed steps of repentance and return. In various responses to the Windsor Report, member churches made the following points:
* That full repentance in word and action is called for by those who have violated God’s holy will in Scripture;
* That this repentance would include the resignation or removal from office of Gene Robinson and the passage of legislation which would bar any similar ordinations of priests and consecrations of bishops;
* That this repentance would include a reaffirmation of the biblical standard of marriage as the lifelong union of one man and one woman and the exclusion of all other configurations as a violation of that standard;
* That responses from our provinces to requests for alternative oversight from churches in North America are of an emergency order and not to be compared to the full and blatant violations of biblical morality by the churches of North America.
We in CAPA want to say clearly and unequivocally to the rest of the Communion: the time has come for the North American churches to repent or depart. We in the Global South have always made repentance the starting point for any reconciliation and resumption of fellowship in the Communion. We shall not accept cleverly worded excuses but rather a clear acknowledgement by these churches that they have erred and “intend to lead a new life” in the Communion (2 Corinthians 4:2). Along with this open statement of repentance must come “fruits befitting repentance” (Luke 3:8). They must reverse their policies and prune their personnel.
It is clear from the actions of the recent General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the USA, including electing a Presiding Bishop whose stated position on sexuality – not to mention other controversial views – is in direct contradiction of Scripture and Lambeth 1.10, that that Province has refused to repent. Accordingly, we commend those churches and dioceses in the USA that have renounced the actions of the Convention and sought alternative oversight.
The current situation is a twofold crisis for the Anglican Communion: a crisis of doctrine and a crisis of leadership, in which the failure of the “Instruments” of the Communion to exercise discipline has called into question the viability of the Anglican Communion as a united Christian body under a common foundation of faith, as is supposed by the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral. Due to this breakdown of discipline, we are not sure that we can in good conscience continue to spend our time, our money and our prayers on behalf of a body that proclaims two Gospels, the Gospel of Christ and the Gospel of Sexuality.
It grieves us to mention that the crisis is not limited to North America. The passage of the Civil Partnerships Act in England and the uncertain trumpet sounded by the English House of Bishops have made it unclear whether the mother Church of the Communion is fully committed to upholding the historic Christian norm. We note, for instance, that it appears that clergy in the Church of England are obliged legally and without canonical protection to recognize the immoral unions of active homosexual church members and may soon be forced by law to bless homosexual “marriages.” Recently, the British media reported that a senior clergyman, supported by his bishop, “married” his same-sex partner, also a clergyman.. So far as we can see, the Archbishop of Canterbury as Primate of All England has failed to oppose this compromising position and hence cannot speak clearly to and for the whole Communion.
In light of the above, we have concluded that we must receive assurances from the Primates and the Archbishop of Canterbury that this crisis will be resolved before a Lambeth Conference is convened. There is no point, in our view, in meeting and meeting and not resolving the fundamental crisis of Anglican identity. We will definitely not attend any Lambeth Conference to which the violators of the Lambeth Resolution are also invited as participants or observers.
We are frankly disappointed that the announced plans of the Lambeth Design Team avoid discussion of Communion order and discipline, which have been clearly strained to the breaking point. We are disappointed that the central issue of an Anglican Communion Covenant is not front-and-centre on the agenda of the Conference. If any group should be expected to consult on these most important issues, it should be the assembled bishops of the Communion.
To add to our reservations about the 2008 Lambeth Conference, we note the huge expense of such an event. Our African churches are asked to divert funds from much needed work of evangelization and charity to a 3-week meeting which has no authority and which is blatantly ignored by “autonomous” member churches. In some cases, poorer provinces are “assisted” by donors from the West who have a deliberate agenda of buying silence from these churches. We conclude that if a regular all-bishops’ conference is to continue in the Anglican Communion, it should be held in the Global South, where the costs are much less and the local economy can benefit; that it be shorter in duration; and that every church be required to pay its own way (we in CAPA will take care of our own genuinely needy members).
A Word to Fellow Churches and Leaders in Africa
At the outset of our Lord’s ministry, he began preaching: “The time (kairos) is fulfilled; the Kingdom of God is near” (Mark 1:15). A kairos moment is a special time when God rotates the hinge of history in a new direction. It may also be called a “crisis” time (krisis), exposing the difference of light and darkness (John 3:19). We believe that such a kairos moment and krisis time have come to the Anglican Communion.
The Church in Africa is also at a crossroads. We are no longer colonial appendages. We say we have come of age. It is for this reason that the first Resolution of the African Anglican Bishops Conference in 2004 states:
that the Church in Africa needs to become self-reliant, just as the Church has been self-governing and self-propagating; through economic self-empowerment, that compels a new orientation and thinking in the area of investment and economic activities.
We the members of CAPA must take forward this Resolution with a unity and seriousness of purpose. Otherwise we shall be continually tempted by those outside our borders who dangle money in return for silence on controversial issues, such as has occurred recently in several of our provinces.
We recognize the strategy employed by Episcopal Church and certain Communion bodies to substitute talk of Millennium Development Goals for the truth of Scripture. These choices are false alternatives: it is the Christ of Scripture who compels us to care for the poor and afflicted. But we must take the initiative in these areas and not accept the patronizing of those who are rich in endowments but who are not rich toward God. Even among the churches on this continent, there are differences in economic resources, in political stability and in religious maturity. It is time for the stronger among us to empathize with and come to the help of the weaker, and not always be looking overseas for help.
It is also a time for reflection and repentance for our churches as well. Our churches must not be unwilling to “listen” and learn to understand better the phenomenon of homosexual attraction. We do not deny that such practices occur in our culture, even that such tendencies will increase as our countries modernize and Western media influences us. We acknowledge our own failures in promoting strong marriage relationships in a traditional culture which allows for polygamy and dehumanizing treatment of women and children. What we are not prepared to do is to suspend the unchangeable standard of God as a part of this conversation. Let the Western churches first affirm God’s plan for the sexes, then let us dialogue.
Conclusion: The Way Forward
We call on our fellow African Anglican leaders to work together in unity to revive our beloved Anglican Communion. We believe that the initiative for the proposed Anglican Communion Covenant should rest with the Global South churches. We do not have confidence that a Covenant produced by those churches that have caused or condoned the theological crisis will reflect the strong biblical and theological core that a reformed Communion needs. In particular, we call on our African churches to lead in sponsoring a Covenant Assembly for the Global South leaders where we may gather and seek God’s guidance for the future of the Communion.
We Anglicans stand at a crossroads. One road, the road of compromise of biblical truth, leads to destruction and disunity. The other road has its own obstacles because it requires changes in the way the Communion has been governed and it challenges our churches to live up to and into their full maturity in Christ. But surely the second road is God’s way forward. It is our sincere hope that this road may pass through Lambeth, our historical mother. But above all it must be the road of the Cross that leads to life through our Saviour Jesus Christ.
The Anglican Communion is at a crossroads. The idea of a crossroads – a meeting and parting of two ways – is woven into the fabric of Scripture. The people of Israel is confronted with the choice of ways – the way of the Covenant or the way of idolatry – and more often than not choose the latter (Jeremiah 6:16). So too Jesus describes a narrow road that leads to life and a broad avenue to perdition (Matthew 7:13). Hence the church must choose to walk in the light and turn from the darkness of sin and error (1 John 1:6-7).
The Church in Africa and the Anglican Communion
We are the voice of the Anglican churches in Africa. We are grateful for our Anglican heritage, brought to us by missionaries committed to the Scriptures and inspired by our Lord’s Great Commission to evangelize the nations. We are equally grateful to be sons and daughters of Africa, whose ancient cultures prepared a rich spiritual soil for the Gospel to blossom. We hope these two inheritances can be kept together, but events of the past decade have called this hope into question.
Although the Anglican Communion came into being at a time of theological and ecclesiastical crisis – the so-called Colenso case – the Lambeth Conference of bishops has by and large managed to avoid doctrinal disputes and disciplinary cases that might have led to controversy and even disunity. Instead the Communion has functioned under the broad umbrella of biblical faith, historic order and Anglican worship, as summarized in the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral. Although there have been tensions from time to time, e.g., over the ordination of women, most Anglican churches have been content to live with what seemed to be secondary differences. Until now.
At the same time, huge shifts have occurred in the constituency of the Communion and the Lambeth Conference in the past half century. What began as a colonial council of expatriate bishops has become at least in theory a parliament of equals. Its members’ complexion has changed from all-white and Anglo to largely non-white, Latino, African and Asian. Its Provinces have become self-governing. And its evangelical and spiritual dynamism is centred in what is now called the Global South or the majority world. While these changes have affected the demography of the Communion, they have not been reflected in its governance, which has stayed put or even gone in the opposite direction. In particular, the advent of the Anglican Communion Office has concentrated power in the hands of those who “pay the piper.” It is remarkable, for example, how few Global South church leaders are appointed to positions of real authority in the Communion.
The growth of the global Communion has spawned a number of alternative structures. The foremost of these is the Primates’ meeting, which has emerged in the past twenty years as the senate of the Communion. In addition, regional associations and gatherings, such as CAPA, CAPAC and the South-South Encounters are bringing together majority-world Anglicans to address their particular needs.
The Current Crisis
The opposing trends noted above – the growth of the churches of the Global South and the tight control of power by the Anglo-American bloc – came to a head at the Lambeth Conference in 1998. The presenting cause was the acceptance of homosexuality in the Western societies and churches. Despite a determined effort by the Communion bureaucracy to blunt the issue, the Global South bishops managed to get a Resolution to the floor which stated that homosexual practice is “contrary to Scripture” and “cannot be advised.” Resolution 1.10 on Human Sexuality was approved by the Conference by an overwhelming majority.
The importance of this Resolution cannot be overstated. By using the phrase “contrary to Scripture,” the bishops indicated that homosexual practice violates the first principle of the Communion’s Quadrilateral and indeed the fundamental basis of Anglican Christianity (as expressed in Articles VI and XX). They were saying: “Here is an issue on which we cannot compromise without losing our identity as a Christian body.” Such was the understanding of the Global South bishops, and hence they were taken aback when Resolution 1.10 was immediately ignored and denounced by bishops of the Episcopal Church.
In the subsequent Primates’ meetings, the Global South bishops have repeatedly called on the Episcopal Church USA and now the Anglican Church of Canada to repent and bring their practice in line with Scripture and with the mind of the Lambeth Conference. The African attitude toward the actions of the North American churches has been consistent throughout this crisis. It is based on several assumptions:
* the supreme authority of Scripture as the ultimate standard of faith and life (C-LQ 1);
* the clarity of the Church’s teaching on “the unchangeable Christian standard” of marriage between one man and one woman (Lambeth Resolution 66 [1920]);
* the practice of homosexuality as a sign of fallenness and a sin separating one from salvation (Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Ephesians 5:3-5);
* the need for repentance by individuals who sin, even more so for those who teach sin as blessing (Matthew 5:19; 18:6); and
* the requirement that believers not associate with openly immoral church members (1 Corinthians 5:9-13; 2 Thessalonians 3:14).
The crisis reached fever pitch in 2003 when the Diocese of New Hampshire (USA) elected an openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church confirmed him as Bishop, and the Presiding Bishop presided at his consecration. The Episcopal Church could not have sent a clearer signal that it was going its own way, and nothing would stop it.
After the Robinson election, many provinces chose the only instrument of discipline available: declaration of impaired or broken Communion. In February 2004, thirteen Global South Primates, including eight from Africa, denounced the actions of the Episcopal Church as a “direct repudiation of the clear teaching of the Holy Scriptures, historic faith and order of the church.” In April 2004, the CAPA bishops pledged to reject donations from pro-gay American diocese.
A Word to the Primates and the Archbishop of Canterbury
The principal body through which the churches of the Global South have expressed their distress over these events has been the Primates’ Meeting, where they are well-represented. The Primates of the Global South have not simply denounced the agenda of the North American churches. They have also sought to find a way forward. In 2002, two Primates proposed a careful scheme of inner-Communion discipline (To Mend the Net). The ecclesiastical politicians, seeking to avoid such discipline, managed to get this proposal sidelined.
They could not, however, avoid the storm of protest that followed the Robinson election. In response to this crisis, the Archbishop of Canterbury called an emergency Primates’ meeting in London in October 2003. Many Global South Primates were ready at that point to excommunicate the violators, but in the end they agreed to Archbishop Williams’s plan to form a Commission and receive a Report one year later. From the point of view of the African bishops, the Windsor Report was considered a vehicle by which the offending churches might realize the enormity of their actions and turn back. It was never seen by us as a process that would preempt the decisions of the Lambeth Conference or the Primates. And the Report, while restricted in its scope and cautious in its language, did present a thorough exposé of the ways in which the Episcopal Church arrogated to itself unilaterally a practice condemned in Scripture, tradition and the Resolutions of this Communion.
The churches in Africa, while grateful for the overall judgement of the Windsor Report, felt that it often did not go far enough in spelling out the needed steps of repentance and return. In various responses to the Windsor Report, member churches made the following points:
* That full repentance in word and action is called for by those who have violated God’s holy will in Scripture;
* That this repentance would include the resignation or removal from office of Gene Robinson and the passage of legislation which would bar any similar ordinations of priests and consecrations of bishops;
* That this repentance would include a reaffirmation of the biblical standard of marriage as the lifelong union of one man and one woman and the exclusion of all other configurations as a violation of that standard;
* That responses from our provinces to requests for alternative oversight from churches in North America are of an emergency order and not to be compared to the full and blatant violations of biblical morality by the churches of North America.
We in CAPA want to say clearly and unequivocally to the rest of the Communion: the time has come for the North American churches to repent or depart. We in the Global South have always made repentance the starting point for any reconciliation and resumption of fellowship in the Communion. We shall not accept cleverly worded excuses but rather a clear acknowledgement by these churches that they have erred and “intend to lead a new life” in the Communion (2 Corinthians 4:2). Along with this open statement of repentance must come “fruits befitting repentance” (Luke 3:8). They must reverse their policies and prune their personnel.
It is clear from the actions of the recent General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the USA, including electing a Presiding Bishop whose stated position on sexuality – not to mention other controversial views – is in direct contradiction of Scripture and Lambeth 1.10, that that Province has refused to repent. Accordingly, we commend those churches and dioceses in the USA that have renounced the actions of the Convention and sought alternative oversight.
The current situation is a twofold crisis for the Anglican Communion: a crisis of doctrine and a crisis of leadership, in which the failure of the “Instruments” of the Communion to exercise discipline has called into question the viability of the Anglican Communion as a united Christian body under a common foundation of faith, as is supposed by the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral. Due to this breakdown of discipline, we are not sure that we can in good conscience continue to spend our time, our money and our prayers on behalf of a body that proclaims two Gospels, the Gospel of Christ and the Gospel of Sexuality.
It grieves us to mention that the crisis is not limited to North America. The passage of the Civil Partnerships Act in England and the uncertain trumpet sounded by the English House of Bishops have made it unclear whether the mother Church of the Communion is fully committed to upholding the historic Christian norm. We note, for instance, that it appears that clergy in the Church of England are obliged legally and without canonical protection to recognize the immoral unions of active homosexual church members and may soon be forced by law to bless homosexual “marriages.” Recently, the British media reported that a senior clergyman, supported by his bishop, “married” his same-sex partner, also a clergyman.. So far as we can see, the Archbishop of Canterbury as Primate of All England has failed to oppose this compromising position and hence cannot speak clearly to and for the whole Communion.
In light of the above, we have concluded that we must receive assurances from the Primates and the Archbishop of Canterbury that this crisis will be resolved before a Lambeth Conference is convened. There is no point, in our view, in meeting and meeting and not resolving the fundamental crisis of Anglican identity. We will definitely not attend any Lambeth Conference to which the violators of the Lambeth Resolution are also invited as participants or observers.
We are frankly disappointed that the announced plans of the Lambeth Design Team avoid discussion of Communion order and discipline, which have been clearly strained to the breaking point. We are disappointed that the central issue of an Anglican Communion Covenant is not front-and-centre on the agenda of the Conference. If any group should be expected to consult on these most important issues, it should be the assembled bishops of the Communion.
To add to our reservations about the 2008 Lambeth Conference, we note the huge expense of such an event. Our African churches are asked to divert funds from much needed work of evangelization and charity to a 3-week meeting which has no authority and which is blatantly ignored by “autonomous” member churches. In some cases, poorer provinces are “assisted” by donors from the West who have a deliberate agenda of buying silence from these churches. We conclude that if a regular all-bishops’ conference is to continue in the Anglican Communion, it should be held in the Global South, where the costs are much less and the local economy can benefit; that it be shorter in duration; and that every church be required to pay its own way (we in CAPA will take care of our own genuinely needy members).
A Word to Fellow Churches and Leaders in Africa
At the outset of our Lord’s ministry, he began preaching: “The time (kairos) is fulfilled; the Kingdom of God is near” (Mark 1:15). A kairos moment is a special time when God rotates the hinge of history in a new direction. It may also be called a “crisis” time (krisis), exposing the difference of light and darkness (John 3:19). We believe that such a kairos moment and krisis time have come to the Anglican Communion.
The Church in Africa is also at a crossroads. We are no longer colonial appendages. We say we have come of age. It is for this reason that the first Resolution of the African Anglican Bishops Conference in 2004 states:
that the Church in Africa needs to become self-reliant, just as the Church has been self-governing and self-propagating; through economic self-empowerment, that compels a new orientation and thinking in the area of investment and economic activities.
We the members of CAPA must take forward this Resolution with a unity and seriousness of purpose. Otherwise we shall be continually tempted by those outside our borders who dangle money in return for silence on controversial issues, such as has occurred recently in several of our provinces.
We recognize the strategy employed by Episcopal Church and certain Communion bodies to substitute talk of Millennium Development Goals for the truth of Scripture. These choices are false alternatives: it is the Christ of Scripture who compels us to care for the poor and afflicted. But we must take the initiative in these areas and not accept the patronizing of those who are rich in endowments but who are not rich toward God. Even among the churches on this continent, there are differences in economic resources, in political stability and in religious maturity. It is time for the stronger among us to empathize with and come to the help of the weaker, and not always be looking overseas for help.
It is also a time for reflection and repentance for our churches as well. Our churches must not be unwilling to “listen” and learn to understand better the phenomenon of homosexual attraction. We do not deny that such practices occur in our culture, even that such tendencies will increase as our countries modernize and Western media influences us. We acknowledge our own failures in promoting strong marriage relationships in a traditional culture which allows for polygamy and dehumanizing treatment of women and children. What we are not prepared to do is to suspend the unchangeable standard of God as a part of this conversation. Let the Western churches first affirm God’s plan for the sexes, then let us dialogue.
Conclusion: The Way Forward
We call on our fellow African Anglican leaders to work together in unity to revive our beloved Anglican Communion. We believe that the initiative for the proposed Anglican Communion Covenant should rest with the Global South churches. We do not have confidence that a Covenant produced by those churches that have caused or condoned the theological crisis will reflect the strong biblical and theological core that a reformed Communion needs. In particular, we call on our African churches to lead in sponsoring a Covenant Assembly for the Global South leaders where we may gather and seek God’s guidance for the future of the Communion.
We Anglicans stand at a crossroads. One road, the road of compromise of biblical truth, leads to destruction and disunity. The other road has its own obstacles because it requires changes in the way the Communion has been governed and it challenges our churches to live up to and into their full maturity in Christ. But surely the second road is God’s way forward. It is our sincere hope that this road may pass through Lambeth, our historical mother. But above all it must be the road of the Cross that leads to life through our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Global South Anglicans Confirm Support of North American Anglicans
Pittsburgh PA - The Anglican Communion Network welcomed a statement by the leaders of more than 70 percent of the Anglican Communion that confirmed their support for orthodox Anglicans in North America.
In the statement, the leaders of 20 Anglican provinces propose that orthodox Anglicans in the United States be represented by a bishop of their own choosing at the February 2007 primates meeting, commit to develop a proposal for granting Alternative Primatial Oversight to those American dioceses that have requested it, and call for the communion to take “initial steps” toward the formation of a distinct orthodox Anglican body in the U.S.
Their communiqué also states that the Global South remains “greatly encouraged by the continued faithfulness of the Network Dioceses and all of the other congregations and communities of faithful Anglicans in North America.”
“We are deeply humbled by the care shown for us by our Fathers in God in the Global South,” said Bishop Robert Duncan, moderator of the Anglican Communion Network. “In many places they and the Anglicans they pastor face poverty, disease and persecution for their faith on a scale that goes far beyond anything that threatens us. In fact, just this week, Anglicans in Nigeria saw their cathedral in Dutse burned to the ground by rioting Muslims. Yet, in the midst of dealing with these massive issues, they continue to offer us their support and guidance. We can only be profoundly grateful,” he added.
The full text of the Global South Primates’ Communiqué follows:
Global South Primates’ Meeting Kigali, Rwanda September 2006 Communiqué
1. As Primates and Leaders of the Global South Provinces of the Anglican Communion we gathered at the Hotel des Mille Collines in Kigali, Rwanda, between 19th and 22nd September 2006. We were called together by the Global South Steering Committee and its chairman, Archbishop Peter J. Akinola. Twenty provinces were represented at the meeting*. We are extremely grateful for the warm welcome shown to us by the Right Honorable Bernard Makuza, Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda, and the hospitality provided by Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini, members of the House of Bishops of the Church of Rwanda and all of the members of the local organizing committee.
2.We have gathered in Rwanda twelve years after the genocide that tragically engulfed this nation and even its churches. During this time Rwanda was abandoned to its fate by the world. Our first action was to visit the Kigali Genocide Museum at Gisozi for a time of prayer and reflection. We were chastened by this experience and commit ourselves not to abandon the poor or the persecuted wherever they may be and in whatever circumstances. We add our voices to theirs and we say, “Never Again!”
3 As we prayed and wept at the mass grave of 250,000 helpless victims we confronted the utter depravity and inhumanity to which we are all subject outside of the transforming grace of God. We were reminded again that faith in Jesus Christ must be an active, whole-hearted faith if we are to stand against the evil and violence that threaten to consume our world. We were sobered by the reality that several of our Provinces are presently in the middle of dangerous conflicts. We commit ourselves to intercession for them.
4. We are very aware of the agonizing situation in the Sudan. We appreciate and commend the terms of the Sudanese Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the North and the South. We dare not, however, close our eyes to the devastating situation in Darfur. We are conscious of the complexities but there must be no continuation of the slaughter. We invite people from all of the Provinces of the Anglican Communion and the entire international community to stand in solidarity with the men, women and children in Darfur, Sudan.
5. We are here as a people of hope and we have been greatly encouraged as we have witnessed the reconciling power of God’s love at work as this nation of Rwanda seeks to rebuild itself. We have been pleased to hear of positive developments in the neighboring country of Burundi as they have recently completed a cease-fire agreement between their government and the Palipehutu-FNL. We are also beginning to see an end to the conflict in Northern Uganda and we note that the Democratic Republic of the Congo is approaching a historic election that offers promise for a peaceful future. All of these developments are occasions for hope for the future.
6. We have met here as a growing fellowship of Primates and leaders of churches in the Global South representing more than 70 percent of the active membership of the worldwide Anglican Communion. We build on and reaffirm the work of our previous meetings, especially our most recent gathering in Egypt in October 2005. We are mindful of the challenges that face our Communion and recommit ourselves to the abiding truth of the Holy Scriptures and the faithful proclamation of the whole Gospel for the whole world. We recommit ourselves to the vision of our beloved Communion as part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
7. We recognize that because of the ongoing conflict in the Communion many people have lost hope that we will come to any resolution in the foreseeable future. We are grateful therefore, that one sign of promise is the widespread support for the development of an Anglican Covenant. We are delighted to affirm the extraordinary progress made by the Global South task group on developing an Anglican Covenant. For the past year they have labored on this important task and we look forward to submitting the result of their labor to the rest of the Communion. We are pleased that the Archbishop of Canterbury has recognized the exemplary scholarship and leadership of Archbishop Drexel Gomez in asking him to chair the Covenant Design Group and look forward with anticipation to the crucial next steps of this historic venture. We believe that an Anglican Covenant will demonstrate to the world that it is possible to be a truly global communion where differences are not affirmed at the expense of faith and truth but within the framework of a common confession of faith and mutual accountability.
8. We have come together as Anglicans and we celebrate the gift of Anglican identity that is ours today because of the sacrifice made by those who have gone before us. We grieve that, because of the doctrinal conflict in parts of our Communion, there is now a growing number of congregations and dioceses in the USA and Canada who believe that their Anglican identity is at risk and are appealing to us so that they might remain faithful members of the Communion. As leaders of that Communion we will work together to recognize the Anglican identity of all who receive, hold and maintain the Scriptures as the Word of God written and who seek to live in godly fellowship within our historic ordering.
9. We deeply regret that, at its most recent General Convention, The Episcopal Church gave no clear embrace of the minimal recommendations of the Windsor Report. We observe that a number of the resolutions adopted by the Convention were actually contrary to the Windsor Report. We are further dismayed to note that their newly elected Presiding Bishop also holds to a position on human sexuality – not to mention other controversial views – in direct contradiction of Lambeth 1.10 and the historic teaching of the Church. The actions and decisions of the General Convention raise profound questions on the nature of Anglican identity across the entire Communion.
10. We are, however, greatly encouraged by the continued faithfulness of the Network Dioceses and all of the other congregations and communities of faithful Anglicans in North America. In addition, we commend the members of the Anglican Network in Canada for their commitment to historic, biblical faith and practice. We value their courage and consistent witness. We are also pleased by the emergence of a wider circle of ‘Windsor Dioceses’ and urge all of them to walk more closely together and deliberately work towards the unity that Christ enjoins. We are aware that a growing number of congregations are receiving oversight from dioceses in the Global South and in recent days we have received requests to provide Alternative Primatial Oversight for a number of dioceses. This is an unprecedented situation in our Communion that has not been helped by the slow response from the Panel of Reference. After a great deal of prayer and deliberation, and in order to support these faithful Anglican dioceses and parishes, we have come to agreement on the following actions:
a. We have asked the Global South Steering Committee to meet with the leadership of the dioceses requesting Alternative Primatial Oversight, in consultation with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Network and the ‘Windsor Dioceses’, to investigate their appeal in greater detail and to develop a proposal identifying the ways by which the requested Primatial oversight can be adequately provided.
b. At the next meeting of the Primates in February 2007 some of us will not be able to recognize Katharine Jefferts Schori as a Primate at the table with us. Others will be in impaired communion with her as a representative of The Episcopal Church. Since she cannot represent those dioceses and congregations who are abiding by the teaching of the Communion we propose that another bishop, chosen by these dioceses, be present at the meeting so that we might listen to their voices during our deliberations.
c. We are convinced that the time has now come to take initial steps towards the formation of what will be recognized as a separate ecclesiastical structure of the Anglican Communion in the USA. We have asked the Global South Steering Committee to develop such a proposal in consultation with the appropriate instruments of unity of the Communion. We understand the serious implications of this determination. We believe that we would be failing in our apostolic witness if we do not make this provision for those who hold firmly to a commitment to historic Anglican faith.
11. While we are concerned about the challenges facing our Anglican structures we are also very much aware that these issues can be a distraction from the work of the Gospel. At our meeting in Kigali we invested a great deal of our time on the day-to-day challenges that confront our various Churches including poverty eradication, HIV/AIDS, peace building and church planting. We were enormously encouraged by the reports of growth and vitality in the many different settings where we live and serve.
12. We received a preliminary report from the Theological Formation and Education (TFE) Task Force. We were pleased to hear of their plans to provide opportunities for theological formation from the most basic catechism to graduate level training for new and existing Anglican leaders. We request that all Global South provinces share their existing Catechisms and other educational resources with the TFE Task Force for mutual enrichment. We were pleased by their determination to network with other theological institutions and theologians in the Global South as well as with scholars and seminaries who share a similar vision for theological education that is faithful to Scripture and tradition.
13. We were blessed by the presence of a number of Economic Officers (Advisors) from around the Communion. Their determination to find creative ways to offer means of Economic Empowerment at various levels throughout the provinces of the Global South was an inspiration to all of us and resulted in the issuing of a separate summary statement. We note especially their proposed Ethical Economic and Financial Covenant that we adopted as Primates and commended for adoption at all levels of our Provinces. We were impressed by their vision and fully support their proposal to convene an Economic Empowerment consultation in 2007 with participation invited from every Global South Province.
14. We received ‘The Road to Lambeth,’ a draft report commissioned by the Primates of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) which they have commended to their churches for study and response. It highlights the crisis that now confronts us as we consider the future of the Lambeth Conference. We commend this report for wider reflection.
15. We were challenged by a presentation on the interface between Christianity and Islam and the complex issues that we must now confront at every level of our societies throughout the Global South. We recognized the need for a more thorough education and explored a number of ways that allow us to be faithful disciples to Jesus Christ while respecting the beliefs of others. We condemn all acts of violence in the name of any religion.
16. Throughout our time together in Kigali we have not only shared in discussions such as these we have also spent time together in table fellowship, prayer and worship. We are grateful that because of the time that we have shared our lives have been strengthened and our love for Christ, His Church and His world confirmed. Accordingly, we pray for God’s continued blessing on all members of our beloved Communion that we might all be empowered to continue in our mission to a needy and troubled world.
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy — to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 1:24–25)
* Provinces Represented: Bangladesh, Burundi, Central Africa, Church of South India, Congo, Indian Ocean, Jerusalem and Middle East, Kenya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Philippines, Rwanda, Southern Africa, South East Asia, Southern Cone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, West Indies ( Not present but represented)
-END-
The Anglican Communion Network is a biblical, missionary and uniting movement of North American Anglicans in fellowship with the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Anglican Communion Network is comprised of over 900 parishes and over 2200 clergy.
In the statement, the leaders of 20 Anglican provinces propose that orthodox Anglicans in the United States be represented by a bishop of their own choosing at the February 2007 primates meeting, commit to develop a proposal for granting Alternative Primatial Oversight to those American dioceses that have requested it, and call for the communion to take “initial steps” toward the formation of a distinct orthodox Anglican body in the U.S.
Their communiqué also states that the Global South remains “greatly encouraged by the continued faithfulness of the Network Dioceses and all of the other congregations and communities of faithful Anglicans in North America.”
“We are deeply humbled by the care shown for us by our Fathers in God in the Global South,” said Bishop Robert Duncan, moderator of the Anglican Communion Network. “In many places they and the Anglicans they pastor face poverty, disease and persecution for their faith on a scale that goes far beyond anything that threatens us. In fact, just this week, Anglicans in Nigeria saw their cathedral in Dutse burned to the ground by rioting Muslims. Yet, in the midst of dealing with these massive issues, they continue to offer us their support and guidance. We can only be profoundly grateful,” he added.
The full text of the Global South Primates’ Communiqué follows:
Global South Primates’ Meeting Kigali, Rwanda September 2006 Communiqué
1. As Primates and Leaders of the Global South Provinces of the Anglican Communion we gathered at the Hotel des Mille Collines in Kigali, Rwanda, between 19th and 22nd September 2006. We were called together by the Global South Steering Committee and its chairman, Archbishop Peter J. Akinola. Twenty provinces were represented at the meeting*. We are extremely grateful for the warm welcome shown to us by the Right Honorable Bernard Makuza, Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda, and the hospitality provided by Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini, members of the House of Bishops of the Church of Rwanda and all of the members of the local organizing committee.
2.We have gathered in Rwanda twelve years after the genocide that tragically engulfed this nation and even its churches. During this time Rwanda was abandoned to its fate by the world. Our first action was to visit the Kigali Genocide Museum at Gisozi for a time of prayer and reflection. We were chastened by this experience and commit ourselves not to abandon the poor or the persecuted wherever they may be and in whatever circumstances. We add our voices to theirs and we say, “Never Again!”
3 As we prayed and wept at the mass grave of 250,000 helpless victims we confronted the utter depravity and inhumanity to which we are all subject outside of the transforming grace of God. We were reminded again that faith in Jesus Christ must be an active, whole-hearted faith if we are to stand against the evil and violence that threaten to consume our world. We were sobered by the reality that several of our Provinces are presently in the middle of dangerous conflicts. We commit ourselves to intercession for them.
4. We are very aware of the agonizing situation in the Sudan. We appreciate and commend the terms of the Sudanese Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the North and the South. We dare not, however, close our eyes to the devastating situation in Darfur. We are conscious of the complexities but there must be no continuation of the slaughter. We invite people from all of the Provinces of the Anglican Communion and the entire international community to stand in solidarity with the men, women and children in Darfur, Sudan.
5. We are here as a people of hope and we have been greatly encouraged as we have witnessed the reconciling power of God’s love at work as this nation of Rwanda seeks to rebuild itself. We have been pleased to hear of positive developments in the neighboring country of Burundi as they have recently completed a cease-fire agreement between their government and the Palipehutu-FNL. We are also beginning to see an end to the conflict in Northern Uganda and we note that the Democratic Republic of the Congo is approaching a historic election that offers promise for a peaceful future. All of these developments are occasions for hope for the future.
6. We have met here as a growing fellowship of Primates and leaders of churches in the Global South representing more than 70 percent of the active membership of the worldwide Anglican Communion. We build on and reaffirm the work of our previous meetings, especially our most recent gathering in Egypt in October 2005. We are mindful of the challenges that face our Communion and recommit ourselves to the abiding truth of the Holy Scriptures and the faithful proclamation of the whole Gospel for the whole world. We recommit ourselves to the vision of our beloved Communion as part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
7. We recognize that because of the ongoing conflict in the Communion many people have lost hope that we will come to any resolution in the foreseeable future. We are grateful therefore, that one sign of promise is the widespread support for the development of an Anglican Covenant. We are delighted to affirm the extraordinary progress made by the Global South task group on developing an Anglican Covenant. For the past year they have labored on this important task and we look forward to submitting the result of their labor to the rest of the Communion. We are pleased that the Archbishop of Canterbury has recognized the exemplary scholarship and leadership of Archbishop Drexel Gomez in asking him to chair the Covenant Design Group and look forward with anticipation to the crucial next steps of this historic venture. We believe that an Anglican Covenant will demonstrate to the world that it is possible to be a truly global communion where differences are not affirmed at the expense of faith and truth but within the framework of a common confession of faith and mutual accountability.
8. We have come together as Anglicans and we celebrate the gift of Anglican identity that is ours today because of the sacrifice made by those who have gone before us. We grieve that, because of the doctrinal conflict in parts of our Communion, there is now a growing number of congregations and dioceses in the USA and Canada who believe that their Anglican identity is at risk and are appealing to us so that they might remain faithful members of the Communion. As leaders of that Communion we will work together to recognize the Anglican identity of all who receive, hold and maintain the Scriptures as the Word of God written and who seek to live in godly fellowship within our historic ordering.
9. We deeply regret that, at its most recent General Convention, The Episcopal Church gave no clear embrace of the minimal recommendations of the Windsor Report. We observe that a number of the resolutions adopted by the Convention were actually contrary to the Windsor Report. We are further dismayed to note that their newly elected Presiding Bishop also holds to a position on human sexuality – not to mention other controversial views – in direct contradiction of Lambeth 1.10 and the historic teaching of the Church. The actions and decisions of the General Convention raise profound questions on the nature of Anglican identity across the entire Communion.
10. We are, however, greatly encouraged by the continued faithfulness of the Network Dioceses and all of the other congregations and communities of faithful Anglicans in North America. In addition, we commend the members of the Anglican Network in Canada for their commitment to historic, biblical faith and practice. We value their courage and consistent witness. We are also pleased by the emergence of a wider circle of ‘Windsor Dioceses’ and urge all of them to walk more closely together and deliberately work towards the unity that Christ enjoins. We are aware that a growing number of congregations are receiving oversight from dioceses in the Global South and in recent days we have received requests to provide Alternative Primatial Oversight for a number of dioceses. This is an unprecedented situation in our Communion that has not been helped by the slow response from the Panel of Reference. After a great deal of prayer and deliberation, and in order to support these faithful Anglican dioceses and parishes, we have come to agreement on the following actions:
a. We have asked the Global South Steering Committee to meet with the leadership of the dioceses requesting Alternative Primatial Oversight, in consultation with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Network and the ‘Windsor Dioceses’, to investigate their appeal in greater detail and to develop a proposal identifying the ways by which the requested Primatial oversight can be adequately provided.
b. At the next meeting of the Primates in February 2007 some of us will not be able to recognize Katharine Jefferts Schori as a Primate at the table with us. Others will be in impaired communion with her as a representative of The Episcopal Church. Since she cannot represent those dioceses and congregations who are abiding by the teaching of the Communion we propose that another bishop, chosen by these dioceses, be present at the meeting so that we might listen to their voices during our deliberations.
c. We are convinced that the time has now come to take initial steps towards the formation of what will be recognized as a separate ecclesiastical structure of the Anglican Communion in the USA. We have asked the Global South Steering Committee to develop such a proposal in consultation with the appropriate instruments of unity of the Communion. We understand the serious implications of this determination. We believe that we would be failing in our apostolic witness if we do not make this provision for those who hold firmly to a commitment to historic Anglican faith.
11. While we are concerned about the challenges facing our Anglican structures we are also very much aware that these issues can be a distraction from the work of the Gospel. At our meeting in Kigali we invested a great deal of our time on the day-to-day challenges that confront our various Churches including poverty eradication, HIV/AIDS, peace building and church planting. We were enormously encouraged by the reports of growth and vitality in the many different settings where we live and serve.
12. We received a preliminary report from the Theological Formation and Education (TFE) Task Force. We were pleased to hear of their plans to provide opportunities for theological formation from the most basic catechism to graduate level training for new and existing Anglican leaders. We request that all Global South provinces share their existing Catechisms and other educational resources with the TFE Task Force for mutual enrichment. We were pleased by their determination to network with other theological institutions and theologians in the Global South as well as with scholars and seminaries who share a similar vision for theological education that is faithful to Scripture and tradition.
13. We were blessed by the presence of a number of Economic Officers (Advisors) from around the Communion. Their determination to find creative ways to offer means of Economic Empowerment at various levels throughout the provinces of the Global South was an inspiration to all of us and resulted in the issuing of a separate summary statement. We note especially their proposed Ethical Economic and Financial Covenant that we adopted as Primates and commended for adoption at all levels of our Provinces. We were impressed by their vision and fully support their proposal to convene an Economic Empowerment consultation in 2007 with participation invited from every Global South Province.
14. We received ‘The Road to Lambeth,’ a draft report commissioned by the Primates of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) which they have commended to their churches for study and response. It highlights the crisis that now confronts us as we consider the future of the Lambeth Conference. We commend this report for wider reflection.
15. We were challenged by a presentation on the interface between Christianity and Islam and the complex issues that we must now confront at every level of our societies throughout the Global South. We recognized the need for a more thorough education and explored a number of ways that allow us to be faithful disciples to Jesus Christ while respecting the beliefs of others. We condemn all acts of violence in the name of any religion.
16. Throughout our time together in Kigali we have not only shared in discussions such as these we have also spent time together in table fellowship, prayer and worship. We are grateful that because of the time that we have shared our lives have been strengthened and our love for Christ, His Church and His world confirmed. Accordingly, we pray for God’s continued blessing on all members of our beloved Communion that we might all be empowered to continue in our mission to a needy and troubled world.
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy — to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 1:24–25)
* Provinces Represented: Bangladesh, Burundi, Central Africa, Church of South India, Congo, Indian Ocean, Jerusalem and Middle East, Kenya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Philippines, Rwanda, Southern Africa, South East Asia, Southern Cone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, West Indies ( Not present but represented)
-END-
The Anglican Communion Network is a biblical, missionary and uniting movement of North American Anglicans in fellowship with the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Anglican Communion Network is comprised of over 900 parishes and over 2200 clergy.
Kigali Communiqué, September 2006
Global South Primates’ Meeting
The Anglican Communion
Kigali, Rwanda September 2006
Communiqué
________________________________________
1. As Primates and Leaders of the Global South Provinces of the Anglican Communion we gathered at the Hotel des Mille Collines in Kigali, Rwanda, between 19th and 22nd September 2006. We were called together by the Global South Steering Committee and its chairman, Archbishop Peter J. Akinola. Twenty provinces were represented at the meeting*. We are extremely grateful for the warm welcome shown to us by the Right Honorable Bernard Makuza, Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda, and the hospitality provided by Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini, members of the House of Bishops of the Church of Rwanda and all of the members of the local organizing committee.
2. We have gathered in Rwanda twelve years after the genocide that tragically engulfed this nation and even its churches. During this time Rwanda was abandoned to its fate by the world. Our first action was to visit the Kigali Genocide Museum at Gisozi for a time of prayer and reflection. We were chastened by this experience and commit ourselves not to abandon the poor or the persecuted wherever they may be and in whatever circumstances. We add our voices to theirs and we say, “Never Again!”
3. As we prayed and wept at the mass grave of 250,000 helpless victims we confronted the utter depravity and inhumanity to which we are all subject outside of the transforming grace of God. We were reminded again that faith in Jesus Christ must be an active, whole-hearted faith if we are to stand against the evil and violence that threaten to consume our world. We were sobered by the reality that several of our Provinces are presently in the middle of dangerous conflicts. We commit ourselves to intercession for them.
4. We are very aware of the agonizing situation in the Sudan. We appreciate and commend the terms of the Sudanese Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the North and the South. We dare not, however, close our eyes to the devastating situation in Darfur. We are conscious of the complexities but there must be no continuation of the slaughter. We invite people from all of the Provinces of the Anglican Communion and the entire international community to stand in solidarity with the men, women and children in Darfur, Sudan.
5. We are here as a people of hope and we have been greatly encouraged as we have witnessed the reconciling power of God’s love at work as this nation of Rwanda seeks to rebuild itself. We have been pleased to hear of positive developments in the neighboring country of Burundi as they have recently completed a cease-fire agreement between their government and the Palipehutu-FNL. We are also beginning to see an end to the conflict in Northern Uganda and we note that the Democratic Republic of the Congo is approaching a historic election that offers promise for a peaceful future. All of these developments are occasions for hope for the future.
6. We have met here as a growing fellowship of Primates and leaders of churches in the Global South representing more than 70 percent of the active membership of the worldwide Anglican Communion. We build on and reaffirm the work of our previous meetings, especially our most recent gathering in Egypt in October 2005. We are mindful of the challenges that face our Communion and recommit ourselves to the abiding truth of the Holy Scriptures and the faithful proclamation of the whole Gospel for the whole world. We recommit ourselves to the vision of our beloved Communion as part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
7. We recognize that because of the ongoing conflict in the Communion many people have lost hope that we will come to any resolution in the foreseeable future. We are grateful therefore, that one sign of promise is the widespread support for the development of an Anglican Covenant. We are delighted to affirm the extraordinary progress made by the Global South task group on developing an Anglican Covenant. For the past year they have labored on this important task and we look forward to submitting the result of their labor to the rest of the Communion. We are pleased that the Archbishop of Canterbury has recognized the exemplary scholarship and leadership of Archbishop Drexel Gomez in asking him to chair the Covenant Design Group and look forward with anticipation to the crucial next steps of this historic venture. We believe that an Anglican Covenant will demonstrate to the world that it is possible to be a truly global communion where differences are not affirmed at the expense of faith and truth but within the framework of a common confession of faith and mutual accountability.
8. We have come together as Anglicans and we celebrate the gift of Anglican identity that is ours today because of the sacrifice made by those who have gone before us. We grieve that, because of the doctrinal conflict in parts of our Communion, there is now a growing number of congregations and dioceses in the USA and Canada who believe that their Anglican identity is at risk and are appealing to us so that they might remain faithful members of the Communion. As leaders of that Communion we will work together to recognize the Anglican identity of all who receive, hold and maintain the Scriptures as the Word of God written and who seek to live in godly fellowship within our historic ordering.
9. We deeply regret that, at its most recent General Convention, The Episcopal Church gave no clear embrace of the minimal recommendations of the Windsor Report. We observe that a number of the resolutions adopted by the Convention were actually contrary to the Windsor Report. We are further dismayed to note that their newly elected Presiding Bishop also holds to a position on human sexuality – not to mention other controversial views – in direct contradiction of Lambeth 1.10 and the historic teaching of the Church. The actions and decisions of the General Convention raise profound questions on the nature of Anglican identity across the entire Communion.
10. We are, however, greatly encouraged by the continued faithfulness of the Network Dioceses and all of the other congregations and communities of faithful Anglicans in North America. In addition, we commend the members of the Anglican Network in Canada for their commitment to historic, biblical faith and practice. We value their courage and consistent witness. We are also pleased by the emergence of a wider circle of ‘Windsor Dioceses’ and urge all of them to walk more closely together and deliberately work towards the unity that Christ enjoins. We are aware that a growing number of congregations are receiving oversight from dioceses in the Global South and in recent days we have received requests to provide Alternative Primatial Oversight for a number of dioceses. This is an unprecedented situation in our Communion that has not been helped by the slow response from the Panel of Reference. After a great deal of prayer and deliberation, and in order to support these faithful Anglican dioceses and parishes, we have come to agreement on the following actions:
a. We have asked the Global South Steering Committee to meet with the leadership of the dioceses requesting Alternative Primatial Oversight, in consultation with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Network and the ‘Windsor Dioceses’, to investigate their appeal in greater detail and to develop a proposal identifying the ways by which the requested Primatial oversight can be adequately provided.
b. At the next meeting of the Primates in February 2007 some of us will not be able to recognize Katharine Jefferts Schori as a Primate at the table with us. Others will be in impaired communion with her as a representative of The Episcopal Church. Since she cannot represent those dioceses and congregations who are abiding by the teaching of the Communion we propose that another bishop, chosen by these dioceses, be present at the meeting so that we might listen to their voices during our deliberations.
c. We are convinced that the time has now come to take initial steps towards the formation of what will be recognized as a separate ecclesiastical structure of the Anglican Communion in the USA. We have asked the Global South Steering Committee to develop such a proposal in consultation with the appropriate instruments of unity of the Communion. We understand the serious implications of this determination. We believe that we would be failing in our apostolic witness if we do not make this provision for those who hold firmly to a commitment to historic Anglican faith.
11. While we are concerned about the challenges facing our Anglican structures we are also very much aware that these issues can be a distraction from the work of the Gospel. At our meeting in Kigali we invested a great deal of our time on the day-to-day challenges that confront our various Churches including poverty eradication, HIV/AIDS, peace building and church planting. We were enormously encouraged by the reports of growth and vitality in the many different settings where we live and serve.
12. We received a preliminary report from the Theological Formation and Education (TFE) Task Force. We were pleased to hear of their plans to provide opportunities for theological formation from the most basic catechism to graduate level training for new and existing Anglican leaders. We request that all Global South provinces share their existing Catechisms and other educational resources with the TFE Task Force for mutual enrichment. We were pleased by their determination to network with other theological institutions and theologians in the Global South as well as with scholars and seminaries who share a similar vision for theological education that is faithful to Scripture and tradition.
13. We were blessed by the presence of a number of Economic Officers (Advisors) from around the Communion. Their determination to find creative ways to offer means of Economic Empowerment at various levels throughout the provinces of the Global South was an inspiration to all of us and resulted in the issuing of a separate summary statement. We note especially their proposed Ethical Economic and Financial Covenant that we adopted as Primates and commended for adoption at all levels of our Provinces. We were impressed by their vision and fully support their proposal to convene an Economic Empowerment consultation in 2007 with participation invited from every Global South Province.
14. We received ‘The Road to Lambeth,’ a draft report commissioned by the Primates of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) which they have commended to their churches for study and response. It highlights the crisis that now confronts us as we consider the future of the Lambeth Conference. We commend this report for wider reflection.
15. We were challenged by a presentation on the interface between Christianity and Islam and the complex issues that we must now confront at every level of our societies throughout the Global South. We recognized the need for a more thorough education and explored a number of ways that allow us to be faithful disciples to Jesus Christ while respecting the beliefs of others. We condemn all acts of violence in the name of any religion.
16. Throughout our time together in Kigali we have not only shared in discussions such as these we have also spent time together in table fellowship, prayer and worship. We are grateful that because of the time that we have shared our lives have been strengthened and our love for Christ, His Church and His world confirmed. Accordingly, we pray for God’s continued blessing on all members of our beloved Communion that we might all be empowered to continue in our mission to a needy and troubled world.
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy — to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 1:24-25)
* Provinces Represented:
Bangladesh**, Burundi, Central Africa, Church of South India, Congo, Indian Ocean, Jerusalem and Middle East, Kenya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Philippines**, Rwanda, Southern Africa, South East Asia, Southern Cone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, West Indies (** Not present but represented)
The Anglican Communion
Kigali, Rwanda September 2006
Communiqué
________________________________________
1. As Primates and Leaders of the Global South Provinces of the Anglican Communion we gathered at the Hotel des Mille Collines in Kigali, Rwanda, between 19th and 22nd September 2006. We were called together by the Global South Steering Committee and its chairman, Archbishop Peter J. Akinola. Twenty provinces were represented at the meeting*. We are extremely grateful for the warm welcome shown to us by the Right Honorable Bernard Makuza, Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda, and the hospitality provided by Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini, members of the House of Bishops of the Church of Rwanda and all of the members of the local organizing committee.
2. We have gathered in Rwanda twelve years after the genocide that tragically engulfed this nation and even its churches. During this time Rwanda was abandoned to its fate by the world. Our first action was to visit the Kigali Genocide Museum at Gisozi for a time of prayer and reflection. We were chastened by this experience and commit ourselves not to abandon the poor or the persecuted wherever they may be and in whatever circumstances. We add our voices to theirs and we say, “Never Again!”
3. As we prayed and wept at the mass grave of 250,000 helpless victims we confronted the utter depravity and inhumanity to which we are all subject outside of the transforming grace of God. We were reminded again that faith in Jesus Christ must be an active, whole-hearted faith if we are to stand against the evil and violence that threaten to consume our world. We were sobered by the reality that several of our Provinces are presently in the middle of dangerous conflicts. We commit ourselves to intercession for them.
4. We are very aware of the agonizing situation in the Sudan. We appreciate and commend the terms of the Sudanese Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the North and the South. We dare not, however, close our eyes to the devastating situation in Darfur. We are conscious of the complexities but there must be no continuation of the slaughter. We invite people from all of the Provinces of the Anglican Communion and the entire international community to stand in solidarity with the men, women and children in Darfur, Sudan.
5. We are here as a people of hope and we have been greatly encouraged as we have witnessed the reconciling power of God’s love at work as this nation of Rwanda seeks to rebuild itself. We have been pleased to hear of positive developments in the neighboring country of Burundi as they have recently completed a cease-fire agreement between their government and the Palipehutu-FNL. We are also beginning to see an end to the conflict in Northern Uganda and we note that the Democratic Republic of the Congo is approaching a historic election that offers promise for a peaceful future. All of these developments are occasions for hope for the future.
6. We have met here as a growing fellowship of Primates and leaders of churches in the Global South representing more than 70 percent of the active membership of the worldwide Anglican Communion. We build on and reaffirm the work of our previous meetings, especially our most recent gathering in Egypt in October 2005. We are mindful of the challenges that face our Communion and recommit ourselves to the abiding truth of the Holy Scriptures and the faithful proclamation of the whole Gospel for the whole world. We recommit ourselves to the vision of our beloved Communion as part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
7. We recognize that because of the ongoing conflict in the Communion many people have lost hope that we will come to any resolution in the foreseeable future. We are grateful therefore, that one sign of promise is the widespread support for the development of an Anglican Covenant. We are delighted to affirm the extraordinary progress made by the Global South task group on developing an Anglican Covenant. For the past year they have labored on this important task and we look forward to submitting the result of their labor to the rest of the Communion. We are pleased that the Archbishop of Canterbury has recognized the exemplary scholarship and leadership of Archbishop Drexel Gomez in asking him to chair the Covenant Design Group and look forward with anticipation to the crucial next steps of this historic venture. We believe that an Anglican Covenant will demonstrate to the world that it is possible to be a truly global communion where differences are not affirmed at the expense of faith and truth but within the framework of a common confession of faith and mutual accountability.
8. We have come together as Anglicans and we celebrate the gift of Anglican identity that is ours today because of the sacrifice made by those who have gone before us. We grieve that, because of the doctrinal conflict in parts of our Communion, there is now a growing number of congregations and dioceses in the USA and Canada who believe that their Anglican identity is at risk and are appealing to us so that they might remain faithful members of the Communion. As leaders of that Communion we will work together to recognize the Anglican identity of all who receive, hold and maintain the Scriptures as the Word of God written and who seek to live in godly fellowship within our historic ordering.
9. We deeply regret that, at its most recent General Convention, The Episcopal Church gave no clear embrace of the minimal recommendations of the Windsor Report. We observe that a number of the resolutions adopted by the Convention were actually contrary to the Windsor Report. We are further dismayed to note that their newly elected Presiding Bishop also holds to a position on human sexuality – not to mention other controversial views – in direct contradiction of Lambeth 1.10 and the historic teaching of the Church. The actions and decisions of the General Convention raise profound questions on the nature of Anglican identity across the entire Communion.
10. We are, however, greatly encouraged by the continued faithfulness of the Network Dioceses and all of the other congregations and communities of faithful Anglicans in North America. In addition, we commend the members of the Anglican Network in Canada for their commitment to historic, biblical faith and practice. We value their courage and consistent witness. We are also pleased by the emergence of a wider circle of ‘Windsor Dioceses’ and urge all of them to walk more closely together and deliberately work towards the unity that Christ enjoins. We are aware that a growing number of congregations are receiving oversight from dioceses in the Global South and in recent days we have received requests to provide Alternative Primatial Oversight for a number of dioceses. This is an unprecedented situation in our Communion that has not been helped by the slow response from the Panel of Reference. After a great deal of prayer and deliberation, and in order to support these faithful Anglican dioceses and parishes, we have come to agreement on the following actions:
a. We have asked the Global South Steering Committee to meet with the leadership of the dioceses requesting Alternative Primatial Oversight, in consultation with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Network and the ‘Windsor Dioceses’, to investigate their appeal in greater detail and to develop a proposal identifying the ways by which the requested Primatial oversight can be adequately provided.
b. At the next meeting of the Primates in February 2007 some of us will not be able to recognize Katharine Jefferts Schori as a Primate at the table with us. Others will be in impaired communion with her as a representative of The Episcopal Church. Since she cannot represent those dioceses and congregations who are abiding by the teaching of the Communion we propose that another bishop, chosen by these dioceses, be present at the meeting so that we might listen to their voices during our deliberations.
c. We are convinced that the time has now come to take initial steps towards the formation of what will be recognized as a separate ecclesiastical structure of the Anglican Communion in the USA. We have asked the Global South Steering Committee to develop such a proposal in consultation with the appropriate instruments of unity of the Communion. We understand the serious implications of this determination. We believe that we would be failing in our apostolic witness if we do not make this provision for those who hold firmly to a commitment to historic Anglican faith.
11. While we are concerned about the challenges facing our Anglican structures we are also very much aware that these issues can be a distraction from the work of the Gospel. At our meeting in Kigali we invested a great deal of our time on the day-to-day challenges that confront our various Churches including poverty eradication, HIV/AIDS, peace building and church planting. We were enormously encouraged by the reports of growth and vitality in the many different settings where we live and serve.
12. We received a preliminary report from the Theological Formation and Education (TFE) Task Force. We were pleased to hear of their plans to provide opportunities for theological formation from the most basic catechism to graduate level training for new and existing Anglican leaders. We request that all Global South provinces share their existing Catechisms and other educational resources with the TFE Task Force for mutual enrichment. We were pleased by their determination to network with other theological institutions and theologians in the Global South as well as with scholars and seminaries who share a similar vision for theological education that is faithful to Scripture and tradition.
13. We were blessed by the presence of a number of Economic Officers (Advisors) from around the Communion. Their determination to find creative ways to offer means of Economic Empowerment at various levels throughout the provinces of the Global South was an inspiration to all of us and resulted in the issuing of a separate summary statement. We note especially their proposed Ethical Economic and Financial Covenant that we adopted as Primates and commended for adoption at all levels of our Provinces. We were impressed by their vision and fully support their proposal to convene an Economic Empowerment consultation in 2007 with participation invited from every Global South Province.
14. We received ‘The Road to Lambeth,’ a draft report commissioned by the Primates of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) which they have commended to their churches for study and response. It highlights the crisis that now confronts us as we consider the future of the Lambeth Conference. We commend this report for wider reflection.
15. We were challenged by a presentation on the interface between Christianity and Islam and the complex issues that we must now confront at every level of our societies throughout the Global South. We recognized the need for a more thorough education and explored a number of ways that allow us to be faithful disciples to Jesus Christ while respecting the beliefs of others. We condemn all acts of violence in the name of any religion.
16. Throughout our time together in Kigali we have not only shared in discussions such as these we have also spent time together in table fellowship, prayer and worship. We are grateful that because of the time that we have shared our lives have been strengthened and our love for Christ, His Church and His world confirmed. Accordingly, we pray for God’s continued blessing on all members of our beloved Communion that we might all be empowered to continue in our mission to a needy and troubled world.
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy — to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 1:24-25)
* Provinces Represented:
Bangladesh**, Burundi, Central Africa, Church of South India, Congo, Indian Ocean, Jerusalem and Middle East, Kenya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Philippines**, Rwanda, Southern Africa, South East Asia, Southern Cone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, West Indies (** Not present but represented)
Response to Correction
I have been told by a diocesan official that there are 8 factual errors in the Virtue piece below. This is what I have been told:
1. The two resignations mentioned did happen, but not for the reason cited in the article.
2. St. Andrew's, Syracuse is not the largest parish in the diocese by average Sunday attendance or total communicants.
3. Of the two resignations, one could be termed a "financial guru," the other is not.
4. Someone who read the correction below emailed me to say that 60 parishes in the Diocese of Central NY are in arrears or are not paying the full amount. The 60 number is based on two sources in the diocese. My diocesan source says that 10 parishes have paid less than their full assessment, 2 have paid none of their assessment, and 2 parishes have closed.
5. The diocesan board has been reduced by the resignations from 9 to 7 members. The bishop's secretary is the secretary to the board without voice or vote. The diocesan chancellor attends the meetings with voice but no vote.
6. At the clergy conference this summer, the sale of St. Andrew's, Syracuse was mentioned, but it was not said that it would be sold.
7. A recommendation to sell the diocesan conference center was made, but the Diocesan Board has changed its mind about this and is not considering selling at this time.
8. The information about the lawsuit against Fr. Bollinger is inaccurate. No other information on this was given.
1. The two resignations mentioned did happen, but not for the reason cited in the article.
2. St. Andrew's, Syracuse is not the largest parish in the diocese by average Sunday attendance or total communicants.
3. Of the two resignations, one could be termed a "financial guru," the other is not.
4. Someone who read the correction below emailed me to say that 60 parishes in the Diocese of Central NY are in arrears or are not paying the full amount. The 60 number is based on two sources in the diocese. My diocesan source says that 10 parishes have paid less than their full assessment, 2 have paid none of their assessment, and 2 parishes have closed.
5. The diocesan board has been reduced by the resignations from 9 to 7 members. The bishop's secretary is the secretary to the board without voice or vote. The diocesan chancellor attends the meetings with voice but no vote.
6. At the clergy conference this summer, the sale of St. Andrew's, Syracuse was mentioned, but it was not said that it would be sold.
7. A recommendation to sell the diocesan conference center was made, but the Diocesan Board has changed its mind about this and is not considering selling at this time.
8. The information about the lawsuit against Fr. Bollinger is inaccurate. No other information on this was given.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Correction
A highly placed diocesan source tells me that there were a number of inaccurate statements in the story by David Virtue that is posted below. First, I have been told that there are 6 parishes in arrears on their assessments, not sixty. Second, Thornfield Conference Center is not yet for sale. If it is sold, I am told that the money will not go toward attorney fees but instead for either youth ministry or other mission initiatives. Third, I was told that the lawsuit filed by Fr. David Bollinger is covered by insurance and is not coming out of diocesan funds. Fourth, I was told that the two resignations from the Diocesan Executive Board were not because of financial issues.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
CENTRAL NEW YORK: Key diocesan leaders resign. 60 of 95 parishes behind in assessments
Special Report
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
SYRACUSE, NY: (9/15/2006)--Two key diocesan leaders; the chairman of the Property Committee and Diocesan Treasurer have resigned from the board of the Diocese of Central New York, in advance of this November's convention because of the diocese's financial troubles.
A source deep inside the diocese, told VOL that the two men were the financial gurus of the diocese and their resignations were precipitated by the fact that some 60 of the 95 parishes in the diocese are either behind in paying their assessments to the diocese, or are completely withholding assessment payments because of wider theological and moral issues facing the national church. There is no hint of theft or illegality.
The Rt. Rev. Gladstone "Skip" Adams of the Diocese of Central New York announced the resignations of two leaders from the Diocesan Board at its August 1, 2006 meeting. They are William R. McNeiece, III, a member of the Diocesan Board who served as the chairman of the Property Committee (which is a sub-committee of the Board), and Bill Branson, Jr., the treasurer of the diocese and a member of the Diocesan Board and the Finance Committee (another sub-committee of the Board) also resigned recently. The resignations were announced in an August 2, 2006 e-mail issued by Kathleen McDaniel, Executive Assistant to the Bishop, to the clergy of the diocese. Adams accepted their resignations with sincere appreciation for their hard work on his behalf and that of the Diocese.
The two resignations will now reduce the 9 member diocesan board to 7 active members. Bishop Adams heads up the Board which also includes his executive assistant Kathleen McDaniel (basically his secretary) and his chancellor Paul Curtin, Esq.
On the same day (Sept. 1) that the orthodox parish of St. Andrew's, Syracuse, the largest parish in the diocese, was being hauled into court by the bishop, Adams held a clergy conference at which he was asked by one of his clergy what the legal cost would be to seize St. Andrews. The bishop said the legal cost would be about $20,000.00.
However the source told VOL that this was before he lost a series of motions which ultimately lead to the denial of his lawyers' motions for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction against the parish, and the dismissal of the lawsuit against the individual members of the vestry.
At that last motion date on September 1, the judge said that this case was likely to be in for "protracted litigation" and offered to personally mediate the dispute. "The lawyer for the diocese was obviously stunned by the judge's granting of the motion dismissing defendants from the lawsuit and the 'protracted litigation' comment from the court. It would appear that the legal fee estimate of $20,000 is woefully inadequate," he told VOL.
A diocese losing its financial officers and suffering income loss may not be in a good position to sustain "protracted litigation" to seize one of its parishes, he said. At the same clergy conference, the bishop told his priests that the diocese had no use for the St. Andrew's building and property, as it already owns several vacant parishes. It is likely that the diocese would have to sell the property, but urban churches fetch little money, and tend to sit on the market for some time. They also need to be maintained till they are sold, that is, if a buyer can be found, said the source.
The same e-mail McDaniel released to the clergy concerning the resignations of the two board members of the Finance and Investment Committee also made a recommendation to the Board to sell the abandoned Thornfield Conference Center which was torn down several years ago. It is thought that the proceeds from that sale of Thornfield will finance the lawsuit against St. Andrews.
Bishop Adams also faces a $1.2 million lawsuit from Fr. David Bollinger the former rector of St. Paul's Church in Owego, for intentional infliction of emotional distress and loss of services. This will further deplete the diocese's meager financial resources.
END
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
SYRACUSE, NY: (9/15/2006)--Two key diocesan leaders; the chairman of the Property Committee and Diocesan Treasurer have resigned from the board of the Diocese of Central New York, in advance of this November's convention because of the diocese's financial troubles.
A source deep inside the diocese, told VOL that the two men were the financial gurus of the diocese and their resignations were precipitated by the fact that some 60 of the 95 parishes in the diocese are either behind in paying their assessments to the diocese, or are completely withholding assessment payments because of wider theological and moral issues facing the national church. There is no hint of theft or illegality.
The Rt. Rev. Gladstone "Skip" Adams of the Diocese of Central New York announced the resignations of two leaders from the Diocesan Board at its August 1, 2006 meeting. They are William R. McNeiece, III, a member of the Diocesan Board who served as the chairman of the Property Committee (which is a sub-committee of the Board), and Bill Branson, Jr., the treasurer of the diocese and a member of the Diocesan Board and the Finance Committee (another sub-committee of the Board) also resigned recently. The resignations were announced in an August 2, 2006 e-mail issued by Kathleen McDaniel, Executive Assistant to the Bishop, to the clergy of the diocese. Adams accepted their resignations with sincere appreciation for their hard work on his behalf and that of the Diocese.
The two resignations will now reduce the 9 member diocesan board to 7 active members. Bishop Adams heads up the Board which also includes his executive assistant Kathleen McDaniel (basically his secretary) and his chancellor Paul Curtin, Esq.
On the same day (Sept. 1) that the orthodox parish of St. Andrew's, Syracuse, the largest parish in the diocese, was being hauled into court by the bishop, Adams held a clergy conference at which he was asked by one of his clergy what the legal cost would be to seize St. Andrews. The bishop said the legal cost would be about $20,000.00.
However the source told VOL that this was before he lost a series of motions which ultimately lead to the denial of his lawyers' motions for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction against the parish, and the dismissal of the lawsuit against the individual members of the vestry.
At that last motion date on September 1, the judge said that this case was likely to be in for "protracted litigation" and offered to personally mediate the dispute. "The lawyer for the diocese was obviously stunned by the judge's granting of the motion dismissing defendants from the lawsuit and the 'protracted litigation' comment from the court. It would appear that the legal fee estimate of $20,000 is woefully inadequate," he told VOL.
A diocese losing its financial officers and suffering income loss may not be in a good position to sustain "protracted litigation" to seize one of its parishes, he said. At the same clergy conference, the bishop told his priests that the diocese had no use for the St. Andrew's building and property, as it already owns several vacant parishes. It is likely that the diocese would have to sell the property, but urban churches fetch little money, and tend to sit on the market for some time. They also need to be maintained till they are sold, that is, if a buyer can be found, said the source.
The same e-mail McDaniel released to the clergy concerning the resignations of the two board members of the Finance and Investment Committee also made a recommendation to the Board to sell the abandoned Thornfield Conference Center which was torn down several years ago. It is thought that the proceeds from that sale of Thornfield will finance the lawsuit against St. Andrews.
Bishop Adams also faces a $1.2 million lawsuit from Fr. David Bollinger the former rector of St. Paul's Church in Owego, for intentional infliction of emotional distress and loss of services. This will further deplete the diocese's meager financial resources.
END
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Bishop Iker on NYC Meeting
Another meeting has come and gone, with no clear results or final resolutions. Another “conversation” has taken place, where diverse views were exchanged, but no unified way forward could be discerned.
So where does that leave us? Well, it does not leave us in the same place as where we began! We have moved further along the path to the difficult decisions that ultimately must be faced, in every diocese and in every parish. Certain options have been discarded; others remain open.
I am grateful that the New York summit provided an opportunity to “clear the air” in face-to-face encounters among bishops who stand on opposite sides of the issues that so deeply divide us. It was helpful to say what was on my heart and mind and to hear directly from the other side as to how they see things. It was not always a pleasant exchange of views. At times the conversations were blunt and even confrontational. Nonetheless, what needed to be said was said and heard, in a spirit of honesty and love. That being said, it is my sense that the time for endless conversations is coming to a close and that the time for action is upon us. I am not interested in having more meetings to plan to have more meetings.
Our appeal for Alternative Primatial Oversight is still before the church, and provision must be made for the pastoral need we have expressed. The initial appeal from this diocese was made to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primates and the Panel of Reference. (We soon withdrew our request for consideration by the Panel of Reference due to its apparent inability to act on any of the petitions that have been placed before it over the past year or so.) When six other dioceses made very similar appeals, we consolidated them into one joint appeal and submitted it to the Archbishop of Canterbury in late July.
After prayerful consideration and consultation, the Archbishop called for the New York summit, which took place on September 11-13, 2006, in hopes of finding an American church solution to an American church problem, but to no avail. We could not come to a consensus as to how to recognize and respond to the needs expressed in the appeal. So back to Canterbury it goes, as the principal Instrument of Unity in the Anglican Communion, but this time with a renewed emphasis on appealing also to the Primates of the Communion as a whole and not to Canterbury alone. The Primates Meeting is a second, very important Instrument of Unity in the life of worldwide Anglicanism. We ask for their intervention and assistance when they meet in February.
Some have balked at the terminology of our appeal requesting Alternative Primatial Oversight, pointing out that the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church does not really have canonical oversight of any of our dioceses in the first place. While I can see their point, nonetheless the official job description for the PB is “Chief Pastor and Primate,” and it is this role that we seek to have exercised on our behalf by an orthodox Primate of the Communion, and not just someone other than the Presiding Bishop-elect of ECUSA. We require a Primate who upholds the historic faith and order of the catholic church and is fully compliant with the recommendations of the Windsor Report as the way forward for the Anglican Communion. Only in this way will we have an unclouded primatial relationship with the rest of the Communion.
Thank you all who prayed so fervently for us in our deliberations in New York City this past week. I am sincerely grateful for your encouragement and support. Your prayers were indeed answered - and are being answered still, in ways that are yet to be revealed.
Please note that a very important gathering of “Windsor Bishops” will be held at Camp Allen in Houston next week, from September 19-22, and that I will be present for those discussions. This is a much larger consultation that includes all Bishops who fully support the recommendations of the Windsor Report and believe that General Convention made an inadequate response to what the Report requested of ECUSA. The Archbishop of Canterbury is fully aware of the purpose of this meeting, and two Church of England Bishops will be present to share in our deliberations and then report back to the Archbishop on what took place. Please do pray daily for us as we consider next steps to be taken in pursuit of the unity and mission of the church.
The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker
Bishop of Fort Worth
Holy Cross Day
So where does that leave us? Well, it does not leave us in the same place as where we began! We have moved further along the path to the difficult decisions that ultimately must be faced, in every diocese and in every parish. Certain options have been discarded; others remain open.
I am grateful that the New York summit provided an opportunity to “clear the air” in face-to-face encounters among bishops who stand on opposite sides of the issues that so deeply divide us. It was helpful to say what was on my heart and mind and to hear directly from the other side as to how they see things. It was not always a pleasant exchange of views. At times the conversations were blunt and even confrontational. Nonetheless, what needed to be said was said and heard, in a spirit of honesty and love. That being said, it is my sense that the time for endless conversations is coming to a close and that the time for action is upon us. I am not interested in having more meetings to plan to have more meetings.
Our appeal for Alternative Primatial Oversight is still before the church, and provision must be made for the pastoral need we have expressed. The initial appeal from this diocese was made to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primates and the Panel of Reference. (We soon withdrew our request for consideration by the Panel of Reference due to its apparent inability to act on any of the petitions that have been placed before it over the past year or so.) When six other dioceses made very similar appeals, we consolidated them into one joint appeal and submitted it to the Archbishop of Canterbury in late July.
After prayerful consideration and consultation, the Archbishop called for the New York summit, which took place on September 11-13, 2006, in hopes of finding an American church solution to an American church problem, but to no avail. We could not come to a consensus as to how to recognize and respond to the needs expressed in the appeal. So back to Canterbury it goes, as the principal Instrument of Unity in the Anglican Communion, but this time with a renewed emphasis on appealing also to the Primates of the Communion as a whole and not to Canterbury alone. The Primates Meeting is a second, very important Instrument of Unity in the life of worldwide Anglicanism. We ask for their intervention and assistance when they meet in February.
Some have balked at the terminology of our appeal requesting Alternative Primatial Oversight, pointing out that the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church does not really have canonical oversight of any of our dioceses in the first place. While I can see their point, nonetheless the official job description for the PB is “Chief Pastor and Primate,” and it is this role that we seek to have exercised on our behalf by an orthodox Primate of the Communion, and not just someone other than the Presiding Bishop-elect of ECUSA. We require a Primate who upholds the historic faith and order of the catholic church and is fully compliant with the recommendations of the Windsor Report as the way forward for the Anglican Communion. Only in this way will we have an unclouded primatial relationship with the rest of the Communion.
Thank you all who prayed so fervently for us in our deliberations in New York City this past week. I am sincerely grateful for your encouragement and support. Your prayers were indeed answered - and are being answered still, in ways that are yet to be revealed.
Please note that a very important gathering of “Windsor Bishops” will be held at Camp Allen in Houston next week, from September 19-22, and that I will be present for those discussions. This is a much larger consultation that includes all Bishops who fully support the recommendations of the Windsor Report and believe that General Convention made an inadequate response to what the Report requested of ECUSA. The Archbishop of Canterbury is fully aware of the purpose of this meeting, and two Church of England Bishops will be present to share in our deliberations and then report back to the Archbishop on what took place. Please do pray daily for us as we consider next steps to be taken in pursuit of the unity and mission of the church.
The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker
Bishop of Fort Worth
Holy Cross Day
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
New York Bishops Meeting: A Statement
From the Anglican Communion News Service:
Issued 13 September 2006, 3 p.m. GMT
A group of bishops met in New York on 11-13 September at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury and in consultation with the Presiding Bishop to review the current landscape of the church in view of conflicts within the Episcopal Church. The Archbishop of Canterbury had received a request from seven dioceses for alternative primatial pastoral care and asked that American bishops address the question. The co-conveners of the meeting were Bishops Peter James Lee of Virginia and John Lipscomb of Southwest Florida. Other participating bishops were Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, Presiding Bishop-elect Katharine Jefferts Schori and Bishops Jack Iker of Fort Worth, Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, James Stanton of Dallas, Edward Salmon of South Carolina, Mark Sisk of New York, Dorsey Henderson of Upper South Carolina, and Robert O’Neill of Colorado. Also participating was Canon Kenneth Kearon, the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion.
We had honest and frank conversations that confronted the depth of the conflicts that we face. We recognized the need to provide sufficient space, but were unable to come to common agreement on the way forward. We could not come to consensus on a common plan to move forward to meet the needs of the dioceses that issued the appeal for Alternate Primatial Oversight. The level of openness and charity in this conference allow us to pledge to hold one another in prayer and to work together until we have reached the solution God holds out for us.
ENDS
Issued 13 September 2006, 3 p.m. GMT
A group of bishops met in New York on 11-13 September at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury and in consultation with the Presiding Bishop to review the current landscape of the church in view of conflicts within the Episcopal Church. The Archbishop of Canterbury had received a request from seven dioceses for alternative primatial pastoral care and asked that American bishops address the question. The co-conveners of the meeting were Bishops Peter James Lee of Virginia and John Lipscomb of Southwest Florida. Other participating bishops were Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, Presiding Bishop-elect Katharine Jefferts Schori and Bishops Jack Iker of Fort Worth, Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, James Stanton of Dallas, Edward Salmon of South Carolina, Mark Sisk of New York, Dorsey Henderson of Upper South Carolina, and Robert O’Neill of Colorado. Also participating was Canon Kenneth Kearon, the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion.
We had honest and frank conversations that confronted the depth of the conflicts that we face. We recognized the need to provide sufficient space, but were unable to come to common agreement on the way forward. We could not come to consensus on a common plan to move forward to meet the needs of the dioceses that issued the appeal for Alternate Primatial Oversight. The level of openness and charity in this conference allow us to pledge to hold one another in prayer and to work together until we have reached the solution God holds out for us.
ENDS
Monday, September 11, 2006
From The Times of London
Clergy seek 'two-church solution'
By Ruth Gledhill
Our correspondent reports on plans to prevent US conservatives or liberals precipitating a schism in the Anglican Communion
SENIOR bishops from opposing sides in the Anglican war over homosexuality have called a temporary truce and today begin talks that could save the Church from schism.
The most likely outcome is a “two-church solution” for the United States, allowing conservatives and liberals to exist, separate but side-by-side, as Anglicans. It would have implications for the worldwide communion, because many other provinces, including England, have similar problems.
The plan this week is to draw up a pact giving the appearance of unity, enabling a final deal to be hammered out at the Lambeth Conference in 2008.
Today’s meeting in New York City will consider a paper from the seven conservative and Catholic dioceses of the Episcopal Church that oppose the leadership of Bishop Katharine Schori and have appealed to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, for alternative oversight. The conservatives argue that there are already, in effect, two churches under one roof in the US and appeal for a special “commissary” to be appointed to look after them and enable a “ceasefire” until a peace treaty is reached at Lambeth.
Sources have told The Times that the aim is for Dr Williams to invite all 890 bishops and archbishops to the Lambeth Conference. That would include the gay Bishop Gene Robinson, whose consecration in 2003 triggered the crisis, and any other openly gay bishops consecrated since.
Although the Nigerian bishops are among those who have have pledged to boycott the conference if Bishop Robinson is present, sources hope that they might be persuaded to turn up if a settlement can be reached.
At today’s meeting of up to 12 US bishops — which takes place at the direction of Dr Williams — Bishop Schori and the ultra-liberals will share a table with the ultra-conservatives, who are headed by Bishop Bob Duncan, of Pittsburgh. “It is remarkable that they are even talking to each other,” said one senior source. “There is a seriously big go-wrong factor here. This is an internal meeting but it has huge external implications for the whole Church.”
Should the two-church solution be agreed on, the liberals, led by Bishop Schori, who succeeds Bishop Frank Griswold shortly, would take about four fifths of the 2.4 million-strong US Church with them.
The conservatives could be regrouped as a parallel jurisdiction under the leadership of a primate from the evangelical-dominated Global South group of churches in Africa and Asia — or leadership could be requested of an English bishop such as Dr Tom Wright, of Durham, who is facilitating a meeting of conservative US bishops in Texas next week and who is increasingly prominent in the Church internationally.
Dr Wright attended the recent US general convention and helped to persuade the Episcopalians to seek a peace deal. Many conservatives view him as “archbishop-in-waiting” should Dr Williams’s own resolve and formidable intellect fail to find a solution.
The argument among the Episcopalians is expected to move beyond theology to matters of money and property. The wealthy US liberal lobby is expected to resist any compromise move by Bishop Griswold and Bishop Schori — especially for conservatives to retain any of the substantial capital and pensions assets of the Episcopal Church.
“If it all falls apart,” said the source, “you could even see something quite radical happening.” For example, insiders are talking of the liberal-dominated Episcopal Church leaving the Anglican Communion itself and seeking unity with a body such as the Old Catholic Church of Utrecht, which is liberal on the question of women and gays. Such a move would allow the Episcopalians to retain their Catholic identity.
However, this would be a last-ditch response. Mainstream liberals are still desperate for the Episcopal Church to remain in the communion and for their new leader to take her place as a woman alongside the 38 other, male archbishops at the regular primates’ meetings.
In February the primates will debate the deals struck in New York this week. They will also consider any requests coming out of the meeting of US conservatives in Texas next week, as well as a meeting of the Primates of the Global South in Kigali, Rwanda, also taking place next week. The Right Rev John Rucyahana, Bishop of Shyira in Rwanda, has already petitioned the Global South primates to leave the Anglican Communion.
# The Church of England was last night unable to confirm that a priest who has HIV had been appointed to take charge of a London parish this month. According to a report in The Sunday Times, the priest, who is anxious not to be identified, is adhering to church guidelines that require sexual abstinence from gay priests.
By Ruth Gledhill
Our correspondent reports on plans to prevent US conservatives or liberals precipitating a schism in the Anglican Communion
SENIOR bishops from opposing sides in the Anglican war over homosexuality have called a temporary truce and today begin talks that could save the Church from schism.
The most likely outcome is a “two-church solution” for the United States, allowing conservatives and liberals to exist, separate but side-by-side, as Anglicans. It would have implications for the worldwide communion, because many other provinces, including England, have similar problems.
The plan this week is to draw up a pact giving the appearance of unity, enabling a final deal to be hammered out at the Lambeth Conference in 2008.
Today’s meeting in New York City will consider a paper from the seven conservative and Catholic dioceses of the Episcopal Church that oppose the leadership of Bishop Katharine Schori and have appealed to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, for alternative oversight. The conservatives argue that there are already, in effect, two churches under one roof in the US and appeal for a special “commissary” to be appointed to look after them and enable a “ceasefire” until a peace treaty is reached at Lambeth.
Sources have told The Times that the aim is for Dr Williams to invite all 890 bishops and archbishops to the Lambeth Conference. That would include the gay Bishop Gene Robinson, whose consecration in 2003 triggered the crisis, and any other openly gay bishops consecrated since.
Although the Nigerian bishops are among those who have have pledged to boycott the conference if Bishop Robinson is present, sources hope that they might be persuaded to turn up if a settlement can be reached.
At today’s meeting of up to 12 US bishops — which takes place at the direction of Dr Williams — Bishop Schori and the ultra-liberals will share a table with the ultra-conservatives, who are headed by Bishop Bob Duncan, of Pittsburgh. “It is remarkable that they are even talking to each other,” said one senior source. “There is a seriously big go-wrong factor here. This is an internal meeting but it has huge external implications for the whole Church.”
Should the two-church solution be agreed on, the liberals, led by Bishop Schori, who succeeds Bishop Frank Griswold shortly, would take about four fifths of the 2.4 million-strong US Church with them.
The conservatives could be regrouped as a parallel jurisdiction under the leadership of a primate from the evangelical-dominated Global South group of churches in Africa and Asia — or leadership could be requested of an English bishop such as Dr Tom Wright, of Durham, who is facilitating a meeting of conservative US bishops in Texas next week and who is increasingly prominent in the Church internationally.
Dr Wright attended the recent US general convention and helped to persuade the Episcopalians to seek a peace deal. Many conservatives view him as “archbishop-in-waiting” should Dr Williams’s own resolve and formidable intellect fail to find a solution.
The argument among the Episcopalians is expected to move beyond theology to matters of money and property. The wealthy US liberal lobby is expected to resist any compromise move by Bishop Griswold and Bishop Schori — especially for conservatives to retain any of the substantial capital and pensions assets of the Episcopal Church.
“If it all falls apart,” said the source, “you could even see something quite radical happening.” For example, insiders are talking of the liberal-dominated Episcopal Church leaving the Anglican Communion itself and seeking unity with a body such as the Old Catholic Church of Utrecht, which is liberal on the question of women and gays. Such a move would allow the Episcopalians to retain their Catholic identity.
However, this would be a last-ditch response. Mainstream liberals are still desperate for the Episcopal Church to remain in the communion and for their new leader to take her place as a woman alongside the 38 other, male archbishops at the regular primates’ meetings.
In February the primates will debate the deals struck in New York this week. They will also consider any requests coming out of the meeting of US conservatives in Texas next week, as well as a meeting of the Primates of the Global South in Kigali, Rwanda, also taking place next week. The Right Rev John Rucyahana, Bishop of Shyira in Rwanda, has already petitioned the Global South primates to leave the Anglican Communion.
# The Church of England was last night unable to confirm that a priest who has HIV had been appointed to take charge of a London parish this month. According to a report in The Sunday Times, the priest, who is anxious not to be identified, is adhering to church guidelines that require sexual abstinence from gay priests.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Network Requests Daily Prayer for September Meetings
Pittsburgh, PA -- Canon Daryl Fenton, chief operating officer of the Anglican Communion Network, has called for disciplined daily prayer during September for the outcomes of three important meetings.
Two of the meetings involve Network bishops and other bishops of the Episcopal Church. The third is the gathering of Global South Anglican leaders in Rwanda.
The first meeting, beginning on September 11, brings together Network bishops, “moderate” Episcopal bishops, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, Presiding Bishop-elect Katharine Jefferts-Schori and Canon Kenneth Kearon, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion Office. Called by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the meeting is a critical opportunity for an agreement to be reached within the Episcopal Church on how to honor the requests for Alternative Primatial Oversight made by seven Network dioceses.
Network bishops will also be joining a much broader group of “Windsor-affirming” bishops at Camp Allen in Texas Sept. 19–22. Called by Bishop Don Wimberly of Texas, the group is made up of an estimated two dozen bishops who believe the Windsor Report marks the “way ahead” for the Communion and accept the Primate’s Communiqué from Dromantine, as well as recognize that General Convention’s response to the report was not sufficient and that Lambeth 1.10 is the teaching of the Anglican Communion on sexuality. During their meeting, they will be working “to arrive at a common response to the current circumstances of the Episcopal Church – one that will ensure an unimpaired relationship with the Anglican Communion.”
Finally, the primates of 20 or so provinces of the Global South will be meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, Sept. 19–22. “When these leaders meet, as they regularly do, they bring together many different languages, different cultural contexts for the purpose of working together for the advancement of the Gospel,” said The Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns, newly consecrated missionary bishop for the Convocation for Anglicans in North America (CANA) who will attend the meeting as part of the secretariat under The Most Rev. John Chew, secretary of the Global South Primates. “Please pray that they will be faithful to keep their eyes clearly on making the Gospel real as they deal with the difficult issues of war, poverty, the spread of militant Islam, and building an Anglican covenant in the midst of it all.”
Rose Marie Edwards, a parishioner of St. Luke’s in Akron, Ohio, who leads the Network’s intercessory prayer team, offered some advice to those who decide to offer daily prayers for these meetings and their outcomes. Intercessory prayer, she said, is simply the process of bringing people, places or situations before God and listening to his will for them. Edwards also advised those praying to make a point to pray for, and not against, those involved. “We become what we hate, don’t we? It occupies our mind and spirit. So stay in the positive vein of blessing instead of cursing,” she said, “Our hope should not be in the people who are in these meetings, our hope is in the Lord. The question is not what will these people produce, but will these men and women allow Christ to move in them. That is the cry of our hearts, that the Lord would be present in these meetings,” she concluded.
-END-
The Anglican Communion Network is a biblical, missionary and uniting movement of North American Anglicans in fellowship with the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Anglican Communion Network is comprised of over 900 parishes, over 2,200 clergy serving more than 200,000 constituents. Since General Convention, there has been a considerable increase in parish and clergy applications to affiliate with the Network. The Anglican Communion Network operates under the legal name of the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes as a tax exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service code.
This message was sent from Jenny Noyes to tseel@stny.rr.com. It was sent from: Anglican Communion Network, 910 Oliver Building 535 Smithfield Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. You can modify/update your subscription via the link below. Email Marketing Software
Two of the meetings involve Network bishops and other bishops of the Episcopal Church. The third is the gathering of Global South Anglican leaders in Rwanda.
The first meeting, beginning on September 11, brings together Network bishops, “moderate” Episcopal bishops, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, Presiding Bishop-elect Katharine Jefferts-Schori and Canon Kenneth Kearon, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion Office. Called by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the meeting is a critical opportunity for an agreement to be reached within the Episcopal Church on how to honor the requests for Alternative Primatial Oversight made by seven Network dioceses.
Network bishops will also be joining a much broader group of “Windsor-affirming” bishops at Camp Allen in Texas Sept. 19–22. Called by Bishop Don Wimberly of Texas, the group is made up of an estimated two dozen bishops who believe the Windsor Report marks the “way ahead” for the Communion and accept the Primate’s Communiqué from Dromantine, as well as recognize that General Convention’s response to the report was not sufficient and that Lambeth 1.10 is the teaching of the Anglican Communion on sexuality. During their meeting, they will be working “to arrive at a common response to the current circumstances of the Episcopal Church – one that will ensure an unimpaired relationship with the Anglican Communion.”
Finally, the primates of 20 or so provinces of the Global South will be meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, Sept. 19–22. “When these leaders meet, as they regularly do, they bring together many different languages, different cultural contexts for the purpose of working together for the advancement of the Gospel,” said The Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns, newly consecrated missionary bishop for the Convocation for Anglicans in North America (CANA) who will attend the meeting as part of the secretariat under The Most Rev. John Chew, secretary of the Global South Primates. “Please pray that they will be faithful to keep their eyes clearly on making the Gospel real as they deal with the difficult issues of war, poverty, the spread of militant Islam, and building an Anglican covenant in the midst of it all.”
Rose Marie Edwards, a parishioner of St. Luke’s in Akron, Ohio, who leads the Network’s intercessory prayer team, offered some advice to those who decide to offer daily prayers for these meetings and their outcomes. Intercessory prayer, she said, is simply the process of bringing people, places or situations before God and listening to his will for them. Edwards also advised those praying to make a point to pray for, and not against, those involved. “We become what we hate, don’t we? It occupies our mind and spirit. So stay in the positive vein of blessing instead of cursing,” she said, “Our hope should not be in the people who are in these meetings, our hope is in the Lord. The question is not what will these people produce, but will these men and women allow Christ to move in them. That is the cry of our hearts, that the Lord would be present in these meetings,” she concluded.
-END-
The Anglican Communion Network is a biblical, missionary and uniting movement of North American Anglicans in fellowship with the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Anglican Communion Network is comprised of over 900 parishes, over 2,200 clergy serving more than 200,000 constituents. Since General Convention, there has been a considerable increase in parish and clergy applications to affiliate with the Network. The Anglican Communion Network operates under the legal name of the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes as a tax exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service code.
This message was sent from Jenny Noyes to tseel@stny.rr.com. It was sent from: Anglican Communion Network, 910 Oliver Building 535 Smithfield Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. You can modify/update your subscription via the link below. Email Marketing Software
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Three Anglican predictions
From the Diocese of Washington (D.C.) newspaper:
VIEWPOINT: the Rev. George Clifford
WASHINGTON WINDOW September 2006
www.edow.org
“The time has come for honesty.
Progressives must acknowledge what
conservatives already know: division is
inevitable.”
Opinion
Hans Christian Andersen's
much beloved children's
story, "The Emperor's
New Clothes," depicts an emperor
going naked because nobody is
willing to tell him the truth. The
Episcopal Church and the
Anglican Communion are in that
same situation today. Nobody
wants to speak what are becoming
three increasingly obvious truths
about the Communion's future.
First, the Anglican Communion's
center of gravity and de facto leadership
has shifted towards the
Archbishop of Nigeria, Peter
Akinola, and his conservative
allies. The adjective conservative is
especially apt as their avowed goal
is to conserve or sustain unchanging
fidelity to a form of
Christianity that emerged in the
4th century and was finalized in
the middle of the last millennium.
Today, many Anglicans find that
expression of Christianity incompatible
with scientific discoveries
as well as insights from contemporary
biblical, historical and theological
studies. These Anglicans,
aptly labeled progressives because
they believe that knowledge of
God and Scripture can increase
over time, want a big tent
Anglicanism with room for all,
where issues involving sex are not
litmus tests for admission. The
growing numerical majority of
Anglicans residing in the largely
conservative Global South with
their vociferous, unrelenting and
intransigent leaders continue to
drive this shift in Anglicanism's
center of gravity.
Second, that shift will soon cause
structural division within the
Anglican Communion.
Conservatives who reject the
blessing of same-sex relationships
and refuse to accept as a bishop a
person who openly lives in such a
relationship will move to distance
themselves from those with whom
they disagree. This includes the
Episcopal Church, several other
provinces and the Archbishop of
Canterbury. The Church of
England with its largely liberal
constituency and clergy already
has dioceses that allow the blessing
of same-sex relationships; at
least one high profile cleric, the
Dean of St. Alban's, openly lives
in a state recognized same-sex
union. The Archbishop of Nigeria
has made it clear that the
Archbishop of Canterbury must
repudiate same-sex relationships as
un-Christian to remain an orthodox
Christian.
The Lambeth Conference in
2008, rather than being a vehicle
for reconciliation, is
much more likely to
be the catalyst for formalizing
this division.
Archbishop Akinola
has already redefined
the conference's agenda.
Rowan Williams,
the Archbishop of
Canterbury, had
intended the agenda
to center around the
training and education
of bishops. Instead, the conference
will now focus on the current
controversies within the
Anglican Communion. Yet conservative
bishops threaten not to
attend if progressives are invited,
making dialogue and reconciliation
impossible. Anglicans who
refuse to pray with one another
and to talk with one another are
already, de facto, out of communion
with one another.
Third, two very different expressions
of the Anglican
Communion will shortly thereafter
emerge. Conservatives will
create a structure with centralized
authority, ensuring that all member
churches adhere to orthodoxy.
Progressives will retain a loose federation
based on common prayer
and communion with the
Archbishop of Canterbury. Debate
will persist for centuries over
which group faithfully and truthfully
represents Anglican identity
and heritage.
The time has come for honesty.
Progressives must acknowledge
what conservatives already know:
division is inevitable. Rather than
making futile efforts to placate
those for whom beliefs about sexual
ethics have become a litmus
test of Christian identity, progressives
should invest their time and
energy in living the gospel mandates
as they hear those mandates.
The time has come for hopeful
trust. When the prodigal son
requested his inheritance, his
father surely anticipated what the
son would do after leaving home.
Yet the father let his son go, hopeful
in trusting that years of love
would one day bear fruit and that
the prodigal would return home.
The Episcopal Church should
send those who choose to leave on
their way with God's blessing,
expectantly hopeful that they will
some day return.
Legal battles to retain property or
other assets bring no credit to
Christ, Christianity or the
Episcopal Church. The church has
always recognized that it is one
branch among many in the
Christian church. New
branches represent
structural breaks but
retain relational unity,
regardless of whether a
branch admits that
unity.
Although the ecumenical movements
of the 20th century seemed
to achieve little, exciting moves to
strengthen the relational and
structural bonds between some
branches of the church have
occurred. Examples include intercommunion
between various
Anglican provinces and Lutheran
churches and recent progress
towards the reunification of the
Church of England and British
Methodists.
Paul counseled the Corinthians
not to settle their disputes in the
law courts. Those who choose to
leave and those who remain within
the Episcopal Church will do
well to heed that advice. No matter
who ends up owning the property
or other resources, good stewardship
demands that the
resources support the work of
Christ's church rather than
expended in costly litigation.
The time has come to clothe the
emperor and to be about our
Father's business. We live in a
world where people die each day
because they have no bread, no
water, no healing touch. Christ
has called us to go, to make disciples,
to love our neighbor in his
name, to set the captive free and
to proclaim the acceptable year of
the Lord. If we do this, then in
the fullness of time we and those
who choose to walk apart will discover
ourselves feasting at the
same banquet.
George Clifford is a writer and
Episcopal priest who lives in
Raleigh, N.C.
VIEWPOINT: the Rev. George Clifford
WASHINGTON WINDOW September 2006
www.edow.org
“The time has come for honesty.
Progressives must acknowledge what
conservatives already know: division is
inevitable.”
Opinion
Hans Christian Andersen's
much beloved children's
story, "The Emperor's
New Clothes," depicts an emperor
going naked because nobody is
willing to tell him the truth. The
Episcopal Church and the
Anglican Communion are in that
same situation today. Nobody
wants to speak what are becoming
three increasingly obvious truths
about the Communion's future.
First, the Anglican Communion's
center of gravity and de facto leadership
has shifted towards the
Archbishop of Nigeria, Peter
Akinola, and his conservative
allies. The adjective conservative is
especially apt as their avowed goal
is to conserve or sustain unchanging
fidelity to a form of
Christianity that emerged in the
4th century and was finalized in
the middle of the last millennium.
Today, many Anglicans find that
expression of Christianity incompatible
with scientific discoveries
as well as insights from contemporary
biblical, historical and theological
studies. These Anglicans,
aptly labeled progressives because
they believe that knowledge of
God and Scripture can increase
over time, want a big tent
Anglicanism with room for all,
where issues involving sex are not
litmus tests for admission. The
growing numerical majority of
Anglicans residing in the largely
conservative Global South with
their vociferous, unrelenting and
intransigent leaders continue to
drive this shift in Anglicanism's
center of gravity.
Second, that shift will soon cause
structural division within the
Anglican Communion.
Conservatives who reject the
blessing of same-sex relationships
and refuse to accept as a bishop a
person who openly lives in such a
relationship will move to distance
themselves from those with whom
they disagree. This includes the
Episcopal Church, several other
provinces and the Archbishop of
Canterbury. The Church of
England with its largely liberal
constituency and clergy already
has dioceses that allow the blessing
of same-sex relationships; at
least one high profile cleric, the
Dean of St. Alban's, openly lives
in a state recognized same-sex
union. The Archbishop of Nigeria
has made it clear that the
Archbishop of Canterbury must
repudiate same-sex relationships as
un-Christian to remain an orthodox
Christian.
The Lambeth Conference in
2008, rather than being a vehicle
for reconciliation, is
much more likely to
be the catalyst for formalizing
this division.
Archbishop Akinola
has already redefined
the conference's agenda.
Rowan Williams,
the Archbishop of
Canterbury, had
intended the agenda
to center around the
training and education
of bishops. Instead, the conference
will now focus on the current
controversies within the
Anglican Communion. Yet conservative
bishops threaten not to
attend if progressives are invited,
making dialogue and reconciliation
impossible. Anglicans who
refuse to pray with one another
and to talk with one another are
already, de facto, out of communion
with one another.
Third, two very different expressions
of the Anglican
Communion will shortly thereafter
emerge. Conservatives will
create a structure with centralized
authority, ensuring that all member
churches adhere to orthodoxy.
Progressives will retain a loose federation
based on common prayer
and communion with the
Archbishop of Canterbury. Debate
will persist for centuries over
which group faithfully and truthfully
represents Anglican identity
and heritage.
The time has come for honesty.
Progressives must acknowledge
what conservatives already know:
division is inevitable. Rather than
making futile efforts to placate
those for whom beliefs about sexual
ethics have become a litmus
test of Christian identity, progressives
should invest their time and
energy in living the gospel mandates
as they hear those mandates.
The time has come for hopeful
trust. When the prodigal son
requested his inheritance, his
father surely anticipated what the
son would do after leaving home.
Yet the father let his son go, hopeful
in trusting that years of love
would one day bear fruit and that
the prodigal would return home.
The Episcopal Church should
send those who choose to leave on
their way with God's blessing,
expectantly hopeful that they will
some day return.
Legal battles to retain property or
other assets bring no credit to
Christ, Christianity or the
Episcopal Church. The church has
always recognized that it is one
branch among many in the
Christian church. New
branches represent
structural breaks but
retain relational unity,
regardless of whether a
branch admits that
unity.
Although the ecumenical movements
of the 20th century seemed
to achieve little, exciting moves to
strengthen the relational and
structural bonds between some
branches of the church have
occurred. Examples include intercommunion
between various
Anglican provinces and Lutheran
churches and recent progress
towards the reunification of the
Church of England and British
Methodists.
Paul counseled the Corinthians
not to settle their disputes in the
law courts. Those who choose to
leave and those who remain within
the Episcopal Church will do
well to heed that advice. No matter
who ends up owning the property
or other resources, good stewardship
demands that the
resources support the work of
Christ's church rather than
expended in costly litigation.
The time has come to clothe the
emperor and to be about our
Father's business. We live in a
world where people die each day
because they have no bread, no
water, no healing touch. Christ
has called us to go, to make disciples,
to love our neighbor in his
name, to set the captive free and
to proclaim the acceptable year of
the Lord. If we do this, then in
the fullness of time we and those
who choose to walk apart will discover
ourselves feasting at the
same banquet.
George Clifford is a writer and
Episcopal priest who lives in
Raleigh, N.C.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Syracuse Post Standard: Lawsuit can move forward
Saturday, September 02, 2006
By Jim O'Hara
Staff writer
The Episcopal Diocese of Central New York can proceed with its lawsuit against dissident St. Andrew's Church and its rector but not against the individual members of the church vestry, state Supreme Court Justice James Murphy ruled Friday.
Murphy also dismissed the diocese's lawsuit against St. Matthias Society Ltd., the nonprofit the diocese claims is benefiting from assets being diverted from St. Andrew's.
Additionally, the judge rejected a request by the diocese for an injunction against St. Andrew's that sought to prevent the expenditure of assets without diocesan approval. But Murphy rejected the church's request to dismiss the diocese's lawsuit altogether.
Advertisement
The judge Friday said it appeared "prolonged litigation" was ahead for the parties. But he offered his assistance as a mediator, noting he had some suggestions.
The rift between the diocese and the church in the 5000 block of South Salina Street in the Valley section of Syracuse stems from the parish leaders' rejection of the denomination's policy on homosexuality. But the court fight is over actual ownership of the church property itself.
The diocese filed a lawsuit in July seeking a financial accounting from the church and court recognition that the law grants the diocese title to all of the church property. The diocese claims the leadership at St. Andrew's did not have legal authority to secede from the overall Episcopal Church and take the actual church building with it.
St. Andrew's leaders' position is that the diocese and the Episcopal Church USA have betrayed traditional church values and that the diocese has no legal right to the church building, rectory or parish assets.
On Friday, Murphy ruled the diocese could not pursue the lawsuit against the individual members of the vestry running St. Andrew's absent some allegations of specific individual wrongdoing. He also concluded there were no grounds to issue an injunction because the diocese would be able to collect damages for any losses in the event it wins its suit.
But he left Robert Hackendorf as a defendant in the case because the diocese is seeking to oust him as the church leader and evict him from the church rectory.
By Jim O'Hara
Staff writer
The Episcopal Diocese of Central New York can proceed with its lawsuit against dissident St. Andrew's Church and its rector but not against the individual members of the church vestry, state Supreme Court Justice James Murphy ruled Friday.
Murphy also dismissed the diocese's lawsuit against St. Matthias Society Ltd., the nonprofit the diocese claims is benefiting from assets being diverted from St. Andrew's.
Additionally, the judge rejected a request by the diocese for an injunction against St. Andrew's that sought to prevent the expenditure of assets without diocesan approval. But Murphy rejected the church's request to dismiss the diocese's lawsuit altogether.
Advertisement
The judge Friday said it appeared "prolonged litigation" was ahead for the parties. But he offered his assistance as a mediator, noting he had some suggestions.
The rift between the diocese and the church in the 5000 block of South Salina Street in the Valley section of Syracuse stems from the parish leaders' rejection of the denomination's policy on homosexuality. But the court fight is over actual ownership of the church property itself.
The diocese filed a lawsuit in July seeking a financial accounting from the church and court recognition that the law grants the diocese title to all of the church property. The diocese claims the leadership at St. Andrew's did not have legal authority to secede from the overall Episcopal Church and take the actual church building with it.
St. Andrew's leaders' position is that the diocese and the Episcopal Church USA have betrayed traditional church values and that the diocese has no legal right to the church building, rectory or parish assets.
On Friday, Murphy ruled the diocese could not pursue the lawsuit against the individual members of the vestry running St. Andrew's absent some allegations of specific individual wrongdoing. He also concluded there were no grounds to issue an injunction because the diocese would be able to collect damages for any losses in the event it wins its suit.
But he left Robert Hackendorf as a defendant in the case because the diocese is seeking to oust him as the church leader and evict him from the church rectory.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Breaking News
CNY Diocese: St. Andrew’s Vestry Members Dismissed From Lawsuit By Episcopal Diocese; Diocese Denied an Injunction Against the Parish
September 1, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Raymond J. Dague
315-422-2052
http://www.DagueLaw.com
A lawsuit brought by the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York against the individual members of the St. Andrews vestry was dismissed by a state supreme court judge today. They had been named as co-defendants in a civil lawsuit against the parish brought by the Diocese to seize the property of the Syracuse, New York church. In addition, Judge James Murphy also denied the request of the lawyers for the Diocese for an injunction against the parish which would have shut the church down. The bishop’s lawyers had sought to prevent any “property transfers” at the parish, which would have frozen their bank accounts.
The judge also threw out the Diocese’s lawsuit against St. Matthias Society, LTD. St. Matthias is an independent not-for-profit corporation which aids parishes faithful to the historic faith of the church and the Anglican Communion. It has been supporting the work of St. Andrews.
Bishop Gladstone “Skip” Adams sued the parish in July after St. Andrews declared the Anglican Archbishop of Rwanda to be its spiritual authority rather than the bishop of Central New York. The diocese claims a so-called “Dennis Canon” trust on the parish property, even though the deeds are in the name of St. Andrews, and the people of the parish put up the money to buy and maintain the property.
The lawsuit against the parish will continue in what the judge said is likely to be "protracted litigation."
The Dennis Canon is a church law which asserts that no parish leaving the Episcopal Church can keep its church property. St. Andrews never accepted that unilateral action by the national church and the diocese, and disputes that these canons were properly adopted.
“It’s a lot like telling my employees that if they leave my employment, that they forfeit their houses to me,” Dague argued to the court today. “A court should laugh at any employer who pulled that kind of stunt. But this is effectively what the Episcopal Church is trying to do to St. Andrews.”
The bishop and the parish were on the opposite sides of a controversy over homosexual bishops and the authority of Scripture which has engulfed the Episcopal Church for the last few years. St. Andrews adheres to the traditional teaching of the church that sex outside of marriage is prohibited by the Bible, while the Bishop and the leaders of the diocese have been outspoken supporters of the homosexual bishop of New Hampshire who divorced his wife to live with his male partner.
St. Andrews Church is a member of the Anglican Communion Network which seeks to be faithful to the traditional teachings of the Church. In the weeks following the Episcopal Church’s General Convention in June of 2006, seven entire dioceses (also Anglican Communion Network members) have disavowed the leadership of the national church and of the newly elected presiding bishop of the church, and have appealed to the archbishop of Canterbury over the same issue.
Over the last three years, twenty-two of 38 primates of the World Wide Anglican Communion have declared broken or impaired communion with The Episcopal Church (TEC) because of this issue, and the vast majority of the Anglican Communion believes TEC has abandoned the faith and practice of Anglicanism as well as historic Christian teaching.
September 1, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Raymond J. Dague
315-422-2052
http://www.DagueLaw.com
A lawsuit brought by the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York against the individual members of the St. Andrews vestry was dismissed by a state supreme court judge today. They had been named as co-defendants in a civil lawsuit against the parish brought by the Diocese to seize the property of the Syracuse, New York church. In addition, Judge James Murphy also denied the request of the lawyers for the Diocese for an injunction against the parish which would have shut the church down. The bishop’s lawyers had sought to prevent any “property transfers” at the parish, which would have frozen their bank accounts.
The judge also threw out the Diocese’s lawsuit against St. Matthias Society, LTD. St. Matthias is an independent not-for-profit corporation which aids parishes faithful to the historic faith of the church and the Anglican Communion. It has been supporting the work of St. Andrews.
Bishop Gladstone “Skip” Adams sued the parish in July after St. Andrews declared the Anglican Archbishop of Rwanda to be its spiritual authority rather than the bishop of Central New York. The diocese claims a so-called “Dennis Canon” trust on the parish property, even though the deeds are in the name of St. Andrews, and the people of the parish put up the money to buy and maintain the property.
The lawsuit against the parish will continue in what the judge said is likely to be "protracted litigation."
The Dennis Canon is a church law which asserts that no parish leaving the Episcopal Church can keep its church property. St. Andrews never accepted that unilateral action by the national church and the diocese, and disputes that these canons were properly adopted.
“It’s a lot like telling my employees that if they leave my employment, that they forfeit their houses to me,” Dague argued to the court today. “A court should laugh at any employer who pulled that kind of stunt. But this is effectively what the Episcopal Church is trying to do to St. Andrews.”
The bishop and the parish were on the opposite sides of a controversy over homosexual bishops and the authority of Scripture which has engulfed the Episcopal Church for the last few years. St. Andrews adheres to the traditional teaching of the church that sex outside of marriage is prohibited by the Bible, while the Bishop and the leaders of the diocese have been outspoken supporters of the homosexual bishop of New Hampshire who divorced his wife to live with his male partner.
St. Andrews Church is a member of the Anglican Communion Network which seeks to be faithful to the traditional teachings of the Church. In the weeks following the Episcopal Church’s General Convention in June of 2006, seven entire dioceses (also Anglican Communion Network members) have disavowed the leadership of the national church and of the newly elected presiding bishop of the church, and have appealed to the archbishop of Canterbury over the same issue.
Over the last three years, twenty-two of 38 primates of the World Wide Anglican Communion have declared broken or impaired communion with The Episcopal Church (TEC) because of this issue, and the vast majority of the Anglican Communion believes TEC has abandoned the faith and practice of Anglicanism as well as historic Christian teaching.
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