Anglican Global South Reveals Intent with Communiqué on Gay Dispute

The Global South Primates meeting has concluded 22nd September in Kigali, Rwanda, with the issue of a communiqué that criticises the 75th General Convention's response to the Windsor Report.

|PIC1|The communiqué also announced that "some of us will not be able to recognise" the Episcopal Church's next Presiding Bishop "as a Primate at the table with us" at the next Anglican Primates' Meeting, set for February 2007 in Tanzania.

In particular it was expressed that the Convention has "no clear embrace of the minimal recommendations of the Windsor Report".

It has been reported that 20 of the Anglican Communion's 38 Provinces were represented at the meeting, however, it must be noted that signatories among the Primates in attendance were not part of the statement. Therefore, it is unclear how many, or which, Primates endorsed the communiqué.

A controversial history will be written on 4th November when the US Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop-elect, Katharine Jefferts Schori officially becomes the first woman to lead an Anglican Province when she formally takes office.

The Global South communiqué explains that she "cannot represent those dioceses and congregations who are abiding by the teaching of the Communion".

It goes beyond this to propose that another bishop, "chosen by these dioceses, be present at the [Primates'] Meeting so that we might listen to their voices during our deliberations."

|QUOTE|The Global South Steering Committee is at present, chaired by Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, who is known worldwide as a leading critic of the direction taken by Anglican Provinces that affirm the acceptance and practice of homosexuality within the Church structure.

The Kigali statement highlights that Jefferts Schori's liberal position on human sexuality is in "direct contradiction of Lambeth 1.10 [resolution of the 1998 Lambeth Conference] and the historic teaching of the Church."

The communiqué said, "We believe that an Anglican Covenant will demonstrate to the world that it is possible to be a truly global communion where differences are not affirmed at the expense of faith and truth but within the framework of a common confession of faith and mutual accountability."

Earlier in September, a three-day private meeting was held in New York by a group of Episcopal bishops with widely varying opinions on the controversial issues. They met with Anglican Communion Secretary General Kenneth Kearon but were unable to reach an agreement on how to meet the needs of those dioceses that have asked for oversight with a Primate other than the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.

The communiqué also stated: "The time has now come to take initial steps towards the formation of what will be recognised as a separate ecclesiastical structure of the Anglican Communion in the USA."

However, the Archbishop of Canterbury has not said anything to disharmonise the recognition of the Episcopal Church as the American-based Province of the Anglican Communion.

Stating that they represented more than 70 per cent of the active membership of the worldwide Anglican Communion, the communiqué issued a recommitment to "the abiding truth of the Holy Scriptures and the faithful proclamation of the whole Gospel for the whole world (and) to the vision of our beloved Communion as part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church".

The 20 provinces represented were: Bangladesh, Burundi, Central Africa, Church of South India, Congo, Indian Ocean, Jerusalem and Middle East, Kenya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Philippines, Rwanda, Southern Africa, South East Asia, Southern Cone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, West Indies.

The communiqué is available in full at: www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/articles/41/75/acns4193.cfm