Anglican Global South Meeting Draws to End

The Third Anglican Global South to South Encounter has come to an end in Egypt, after five days of close consultation and deliberation between conservative members of the Anglican Communion.

|TOP|A total of 103 delegates from 20 provinces in the Global South, comprising Africa, South and South East Asia, West Indies and South America, met for the Encounter at Ain El-Sukhna by the Red Sea in Egypt.

The theme of the gathering, also briefly attended by the Archbishop of Canterbury on Friday, was “One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church: Being a Faithful Church For Such A Time As This”.

“The world of the Global South is riddled with the pain of political conflict, tribal warfare and bloodshed. The moral and ethical foundations of several of our societies are being shaken."

“Many of our nations are beset by problems of poverty, ignorance and sickness, particularly the HIV and AIDS that threaten millions, especially in Africa,” read a statement by representatives of the Global South Encounter.

The gathered delegates offered their prayers to the thousands of people who have suffered from severe drought in Africa, earthquakes in South Asia, and the hurricanes in the Americas, before proceeding to address the problems facing the Anglican Communion.

“Apart from the world condition, our own Anglican Communion sadly continues to be weakened by unchecked revisionist teaching and practices which undermine the divine authority of the Holy Scripture."

“The Anglican Communion is severely wounded by the witness of errant principles of faith and practice which in many parts of our Communion have adversely affected our efforts to take the Gospel to those in need of God’s redeeming and saving love,” read the statement.

A spiritual focus also permeated the meeting near the Red Sea, with the region being a deliberate choice by the Global South owing to Egypt’s biblical prominence.

Research papers were presented at the Encounter on the context of worship, prayer, Bible Study and mutual sharing.

|QUOTE|The delegates at the Encounter focused on the four 'marks' of the church: 'One',‘Holy’, ‘Catholic’, and ‘Apostolic’, reaffirming unity in the love of Jesus Christ and the commission of the Church to minister, mission and serve.

The members of the Global South recommitted to the authority of the Word of God and their endorsement of the concept of and formulation of an Anglican Covenant ‘rooted in the Windsor Report'.

“We are seeking a Covenant that is rooted in historic faith and formularies, and that provides a biblical foundation for our life, ministry and mission as a Communion."

“It is envisaged that once the Covenant is approved by the Communion, provinces that enter into the Covenant shall be mutually accountable, thereby providing an authentic fellowship within the Communion,” read the statement.

The statement also addressed the current debate on homosexuals in the Church, which is threatening to split the Communion.

“We are grateful that the Archbishop of Canterbury publicly recognised the Anglican Communion Network in the USA and the Anglican Network in Canada as faithful members of the Anglican Communion.”

The representatives added, however, that the “unscriptural innovations of North American and some western provinces on issues of human sexuality undermine the basic message of redemption and the power of the Cross to transform lives”.

They continued: “The leaders of these provinces disregard the plain teaching of Scripture and reject the traditional interpretation of tenets in the historical Creeds.”

The delegates at the Encounter also concluded that ECUSA and the Anglican Church of Canada had not taken the necessary steps to meet the requirements of the Windsor Report.

“Regrettably, even at the meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) in Nottingham in 2005, we see no evidence that both ECUSA and the Anglican Church of Canada are willing to accept the generally accepted teaching, nor is there evidence that they are willing to turn back from their innovations.”

According to the delegates the struggles of the Communion have only been exacerbated by the lack of concrete progress in the implementation of the recommendations of the Windsor Report, adding criticism to the Panel of Reference.

“The slow and inadequate response of the Panel of Reference has trivialised the solemn charge from the Primates and has allowed disorder to multiply unnecessarily.”

The statement called for “urgent and serious” implementation of the recommendations of the Windsor Report in order to prevent a split in the Communion.

“Unscriptural and unilateral decisions, especially on moral issues, tear the fabric of our Communion and require appropriate discipline at every level to maintain our unity."

“While the Global South calls for the errant provinces to be disciplined, we will continue to pray for all who embrace these erroneous teachings that they will be led to repentance and restoration,” read the statement.

Other issues addressed at the Encounter included spiritual leadership, youth, HIV/AIDS, corruption and violent conflict.