The Most Rev Dr Mouneer H. Anis, bishop of Egyptlooking a little windswept
From Global South Anglican
The alternative programme by those who would stay in the Anglican Communion (mostly) and remain allied with the Focas.
- We urge the official endorsement of the proposed Anglican Covenant by ACC 14 in May 2009 [i.e. without waiting for all the Provinces, in particular the US, to follow their constitutional proceeses.]
- to give clear endorsement and immediate implementation of the interim proposals of the Windsor Continuation Group on the swift formation of the Pastoral Forum with the terms of reference as set out: in particular, “the Pastoral Forum should be empowered to act in the Anglican Communion in a rapid manner to emerging threats to its life, especially through the ministry of its Chair, who should work alongside the Archbishop of Canterbury in the exercise of his ministry. The Forum would be responsible for addressing those anomalies of pastoral care arising in the Communion against the recommendations of the Windsor Report. It could also offer guidance on what response and any diminished standing within the Communion might be appropriate where any of the three moratoria are broken.”
- resolving the present crisis over faith and order. ... should be effected only on the agreed consensus of communion and moral commitments made in resolutions of successive meetings which provide the proper framework and basis towards addressing and resolving the crisis:the Lambeth 1998 Resolution I.10; the respective Communiqués of the Primates’ Meetings of 2003, Dromantine 2005, and most explicitly Dar-es-Salaam 2007: in particular, on the complete cessation of (a) the celebration of blessings for same-sex unions, (b) consecrations of those living in openly gay relationships, and (c) all cross border interventions and inter-provincial claims of jurisdiction, as the Windsor Continuation Group rightly observed. [This latter point would seem to be the only significant difference to the Foca agenda.]
- [to endorse the theology] detailed in the “Global South Anglican Theological Formation and Education Task Force Anglican Catechism in Outline: A Common Home Between Us”
- the Global South Primates’ Steering Committee at its meeting in March 2008 has agreed to consult one another after GAFCON (June 2008) and Lambeth (July 2008) on how to move the global Anglican Communion substantially and effectively forward. [emphasis added]
Signed
The Most Revd Gerald James (Ian) Ernest (Indian Ocean)
The Most Revd Bernard Ntahoturi (Burundi)
The Most Revd Dr. Dirokpa Balufuga Fidèle (Congo)
The Most Revd Archbishop John Chew (Southeast Asia)
The Most Revd Stephen Than Myint Oo (Myanmar)
The Most Revd Valentino Mokiwa (Tanzania)
The Most Revd Daniel Deng Bul Yak (Sudan)
The Most Revd Dr Mouneer Hanna Anis (Jerusalem & The Middle East)
The Most Revd Justice Ofei Akrofi (West Africa)
The Most Revd John Wilson Gladstone (South India)
The Rt Revd Donald Mtetemela (Tanzania)
and other names may be added
This response is positive in the sense that they are 'responding' but unrealistic in expecting endorsement of the 'Covenant' either by as soon as May 2009 or without waiting for all Provinces to follow their constitutional processes.
ReplyDeleteAnyway what's the rush? After all the efforts by Rowan Williams at this last Lambeth Conference he should be given a chance (ie enough time) to work it through and get it right.
Lastly, it's interesting to see which 'Global South' Provinces are nor represented on the signature list.
I've just had a count up and, bearing in mind that Tanzania is represented twice by their outgoing and incoming Archbishops, those not on the list of signatories who might be expected to be, are:
ReplyDeleteBangladesh
Central Africa
Kenya
Nigeria!
The Episcopal Church the Philippines (That's an in communion Church)
Rwanda
South Africa
The Southern Cone!
The West Indies
Uganda!
My exclamation marks added because those are big players in the GS who are missing. It looks like the letter has been written 'on the hoof' as it were, although it does say that more names may be added.
Concerned Anglican,
ReplyDeleteI think they are a number of reasons for these absentees. First the list was created by touting the statement around Lambeth - though the organizers have kept the door open to future signatories.
South Africa wouldn't join - much too liberal. Central Africa has no Archbishop and is in complete disarray.
Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda and (I think) Kenya are walking apart - this is a statement of those who wish to remain in communion.
Southern Cone is interesting - the signs are that Greg Vanables doesn't know what to do, he's both in and out.
And I don't know anything at all about the church in Bangladesh and the Philippines.
I was surprised about West Africa - it was suggested to me that Archbishop Akrofi doesn't necessarily carry his province with him in the company he keeps, though they would be much to polite to say so.