The Primate of Kenya, and chairman of Gafcon, today announced on the Gafcon website that his province will not be sending representatives to the upcoming meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council in Lusaka. His province joins Uganda which earlier stated it would not be sending representatives.
The Most Rev’d Dr Eliud Wabukala, Primate of Kenya:
… the Presiding Bishop of TEC has made it clear that his Church will not think again about same sex ‘marriage’ and he expects his Church to play a full part in next month’s Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) meeting in Lusaka. This defiance of the Primates’ moral and spiritual authority has been supported by the Chairman of the ACC, Bishop Tengatenga, who has confirmed that TEC will participate fully.
There can be no true walking together with those who persistently refuse to walk in accordance with God’s Word and the Anglican Church of Kenya will not therefore be participating in the forthcoming meeting of the ACC in Lusaka.
On Monday the Anglican Communion News Service reported on the preliminary program of ACC16. The concluding paragraph reported what was already known — Uganda had announced it would not be participating.
The preliminary program reminds us that Bishop Tengatenga’s term as chair ends during this meeting. A new chair will be elected and become chair for the balance of the meeting. You must be present to vote.
Addendum. RNS:
Nigeria, too, has written to say its bishops will not attend, according to church officials. “The bottom line … is that nothing has changed,” said Archbishop Nicholas Okoh of Nigeria.
The Anglican Church of Rwanda, which has often acted in concert with Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda, has yet to make a decision, according to Archbishop Onesphore Rwaje.
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Whatever....
Or maybe instead of crow, curry.
Chicken....they love chicken
The prodigals are always welcome to come home though crow might be a better dish than fatted calf. Sadly, church disputes tend to keep one side or the other for an awfully long time in the far country.
quiver quiver shake shake
"This defiance of the Primates’ moral and spiritual authority . . . ."
Last I checked, a bishop has no authority outside his or her own diocese.
The Primates are not a College of Cardinals. Nothing could be less Anglican!
If they have no moral or spiritual authority, why do they meet at all? If it's just conversation, why doesn't the AC or the ACC or whoever they are just have Skype meetings?
"Their churches are autonomous yet inter-dependent in their relationships with each other."
"[Y]et inter-dependent"?
Who says? And how so?
Or is this more Lambeth malarkey?
Their authority is however it is defined within their own province. They don't have authority outside their provinces. They lack the authority to bind other instruments of the communion to their will. The ABC made assurances that he would follow through where he has authority - such as over appointments to certain bodies. The ABC has no authority over the ACC and its leadership.
That said, it's likely at the upcoming meeting the ACC will elect a chair that is more in tune with the ABC and "the consequences" -- but I doubt boycotting the meeting improves the odds.
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/structures/instruments-of-communion.aspx
Primates Meeting
The Primates of the Anglican Communion are the chief Archbishops, Presiding Bishops, Chief Pastors of the various Provinces of the global church. Their churches are autonomous yet inter-dependent in their relationships with each other. The Archbishop of Canterbury chairs their meetings, which are held at varying intervals at various places in the Anglican World. The primates have no authority as a "body" and their own national churches determine how their ministry is carried out in their own context. The customs and responsibilities vary from Province to Province.
You have asked an important question.
See the recent ACI contribution.
Amnesia in our age is likely more virulent than the default of TEC "anguish at being imposed upon."
I seriously doubt that the ABC will simply fold his hands and declare the ACC to 'trump' the Primates Meeting. But then again, will it genuinely come to this (now popular) end? I somehow doubt it.
Lenten blessings.
Some of the Primates THINK that the (so-called) Anglican Covenant is in effect.
It isn't.