Akinola responds to letter from Williams
Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria wrote a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury after the installation of the Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns as Missionary Bishop to CANA claiming that his action in the United States Saturday was "for the Communion" and was a result of the actions of the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church.
Akinola reiterated his claim that CANA by being an extension of the Church of Nigeria is a bona-fide member of the Anglican Communion. He says that once conditions are right, he would be happy to surrender CANA to the Communion. The letter does not state he means by that or what those conditions might be. Nor did he address the claims on real property of the Episcopal Church that most CANA parishes have made.
He called the response of the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church disrespectful towards Akinola and the rest of the Anglican Communion Primates and reiterated previous claims that the Episcopal Church is undertaking "their own unbiblical agenda (which) exacerbate our current divisions."
Saying that "the Lord’s name has been dishonoured," Akinola says that to not act would imperil "thousands of souls" and that therefore the establishment of a missionary diocese overlapping the Episcopal Church offers "hope for the future of our beleaguered Communion."
The letter is posted on the Church of Nigeria website.
The V Rev Akinola's letter is painful for me to read. My reaction is upon seeing the phrase "thousands of imperilled souls" is to ask myself is THIS why I have come to Christ? To be returned to the unenlightened Dark Ages of religious thought?
Posted by A MacArthur![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 7, 2007 3:19 PM
I continue to wonder who died and made Peter Akinola the Archbishop of Canterbury. Maybe ++Rowan will start to wonder this as well.
Posted by Kit Carlson![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 7, 2007 5:16 PM
I've made the comment in other places that my sense is that the Episcopal Church is actually a peripheral player in this particular drama. This is really a test to see if the ABC is going to respond to Akinola's actions.
Frankly just the fact that there was a public acknowledgment that a letter was sent from Rowan to Peter is a significant shift...
Posted by Nicholas Knisely![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 7, 2007 6:17 PM
Archbishop Akinola comes across with a frighteningly paternalistic attitude. His belief that there is "no benefit" to himself or the church of Nigeria, and that he had no choice but to ignore the requests of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori, has the ring of "doing this for your own good". I’m glad that we are remaining prayerful and not considering a rescue mission for some of the churches in Nigeria.
The message that so many seem to be missing is that we can agree to disagree on the issues that currently face the Anglican Communion. By doing so we remain one body and continue to work together and influence each other rather than breaking into separate bodies, lobbing communiqués at each other and calling that dialogue.
I am reminded of the fifth chapter of Matthew, “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?” If we only remain in communion with those we agree with, what will be our reward?
Posted by Jeff Coulter![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/nav-commenters.gif)
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May 8, 2007 10:41 AM