Does this scare you?
Posted on 04/08/2004 1:47:49 PM PDT by ahadams2
African Primates in make-or-break summit
Number: 5712 Date: April 8,
Africa’s continuing place in the Anglican Communion will come under sharp scrutiny next week as the leaders of the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa [CAPA] meet in Nairobi.
The summit, running from April 14-16, will review the future of CAPA in light of the consecration of Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire in the USA.
The 12 African Primates and the Bishop of Egypt will be joined by the Archbishops of Southeast Asia, South America, the West Indies, the Philippines, Pakistan, and New Guinea along with other Anglican leaders. Observers say that it is the most significant gathering of Primates since the emergency meeting held at Lambeth on October 14-15.
In the invitation to the meeting, Archbishop Peter Akinola, Primate of Nigeria and Chairman of CAPA, wrote his fellow Primates, “We need to come to terms with what step to take to make CAPA not only self-reliant, but to guarantee its sustainability.”
Speaking to the press in the United States on Apr 2 following a two-day meeting with traditionalist leaders in Atlanta, Archbishop Akinola argued that the liberal factions that had captured the leadership and bureaucratic machinery of several Western Churches must “either repent and come back to the fold, or give up on the Anglican family.”
He also stated that unless the leadership of the American Church repented in its advocacy of the homosexual agenda, he would not attend pan-Anglican gatherings where they would be present.
Archbishop Akinola’s strong words came one week after his meeting in Pretoria with Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane of Cape Town on March 29. The only supporter of the US position among the American Primates at the emergency Primates' meeting last year, Archbishop Ndungane endorsed a statement pledging to work “to strengthen the position of the Church in Africa on the issue of human sexuality.”
The two Primates also reaffirmed the “resolution on human sexuality as passed at the 1998 Lambeth Conference and subsequent Primates' Meetings which categorically say no to same-sex marriages or unions”.
The Rt Rev Emmanuel Egbunu, the Nigerian Church’s Inter-Anglican and Global Relations Officer, told The Church of England Newspaper the meeting in Pretoria was “a meeting of minds which necessitated a review” of prior positions. He noted, however, that the “most important decision of that meeting was the resolve to stay true to the resolutions of Lambeth '98 and subsequent Primates' meetings.”
The CAPA Primates' Meeting will take place during Conference on Mission organized by the Church Mission Society from Apr 12-16. The Conference host, the Archbishop of Kenya the Most Rev Bernard Nzimbi, will welcome mission officers from across Africa to discuss “Transforming Mission: Taking your place in mission in God's world” where they will hear presentations on mission strategies from Marjorie Murphy of the Anglican Consultative Council, Dr Agnes Abuom, the President of the African Chapter of the World Council of Churches, and the Rev. Dr Zac Niringiye of the CMS Africa Regional Office.
From what I've heard (from an African bishop, no less) is that African say things in a very nuanced and subtle way. This is a very strong statement.
First, "self-reliant" is code for "put ourselves in a position where we don't have to rely on money from Western (i.e., American) Anglican sources."
Second, in the context of "self-reliance," "sustainability" means that the CAPA provinces will separate from the Communion, if need be, in order to remain faithful churches in the body of Christ.
It's very interesting that the COE Newspaper should then go on to connect this statement with the following:
Speaking to the press in the United States on Apr 2, ... Archbishop Akinola argued that the liberal factions that had captured the leadership and bureaucratic machinery of several Western Churches must “either repent and come back to the fold, or give up on the Anglican family.”
The English, who are more used to American obtuseness, have kindly reinforced the nuanced statement in the form of a sledgehammer that even Frank Griswold can understand. It's a challenge to the Eames Commission to enact real discipline on apostate Western Churches -- or the Communion will be dead.
I think the fact that the COE Newspaper provided that connection is not an accident.
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