In view of the statement issued today by the Primate of Southern Africa, the question arises as to who exactly has endorsed the Kigali statement. Here’s a summary of the situation so far (emphasis added to some of the quotes):
Archbishop Ndungane said:
I wish to offer this clarification of the position of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, in light of the potentially misleading impression that our Province has endorsed the Communiqué issued at the end of the meeting. Whereas Canon Livingstone Ngewu and I were present in Kigali, neither of us were made aware even of the possibility of a communiqué in the name of the Primates of the Global South, prior to its release.
The Kigali Global South Communique started out:
1. As Primates and Leaders of the Global South Provinces of the Anglican Communion we gathered at the Hotel des Mille Collines in Kigali, Rwanda, between 19th and 22nd September 2006. We were called together by the Global South Steering Committee and its chairman, Archbishop Peter J. Akinola. Twenty provinces were represented at the meeting*.
And the * note reads:
* Provinces Represented:
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 (** Not present but represented)
No list of individuals attending, still less of those signing, was included.
The ENS press release noted:
The communiqué stated that 20 of the Anglican Communion’s 38 Provinces were represented at the Rwanda meeting, but signatories among the Primates in attendance were not included with the statement. It is unclear how many, or which, Primates endorsed the communiqué.
The Living Church claimed:
The communiqué, endorsed by representatives from 20 of the Communion’s 38 provinces,…
and went on to list the attendees as:
Present at the meeting were archbishops Bernard Ntahoturi, Burundi; Bernard Malango, Central Africa; Fidèle Dirokpa, Congo; Ian Ernest, Indian Ocean; Clive Handford, Jerusalem and the Middle East; Benjamin Nzimbi, Kenya; Samuel San Si Htay, Myanmar (Burma); Peter Akinola, Nigeria; Emmanuel Kolini, Rwanda; Njongonkulu Ndungane, Southern Africa; John Chew, South East Asia; Joseph Marona, Sudan; Donald Mtetemela, Tanzania; Henry Orombi, Uganda; Justice Akrofi, West Africa; Drexel Gomez, West Indies; Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables of the Southern Cone, and Moderator of the Church of South India Bishop Peter Sughandar.
Representatives of the Moderator of the Church of Bangladesh and the Presiding Bishop of the Philippines were also present, as was the Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns, rector of Truro Parish, Fairfax, Va., and Bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America under the Church of Nigeria.
It goes on to say, though, that:
While presenting a united front in Kigali, the leadership of the Global South is not as one over the issue of homosexuality. Present for the first part of the meeting, the Primate of the Anglican Church in Southern Africa, Archbishop Ndungane left on Sept. 21 to address a controversy arising from the publication of Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s official biography.
Both the Telegraph (“a powerful group of 20 primates said”) and The Times (“archbishops from the 20 African and Asian provinces in the Anglican “Global South” grouping said”) assumed that all 20 primates had agreed the statement.
This is called ‘being economical with the truth.’ Why do I go on being shaken and shocked when bishops and wot-not try this on ?!
What does “not present but represented” mean? Were they represented by someone selected by the primate of the province or someone selected by the organizers of the conference? Can we ascribe a statement by an observer who was present to the primate? Even including the representatives and not including the primate who has distanced himself from the proceedings, they lack a majority of primates. Considering they are not likely to pick up and of the remaining primates to sign on to their proposals, they have to be considered dead on arrival.
Thanks for this Simon. One of my concerns was whether there was going to be a repeat of last November where people were purported to have signed or been in agreement without their full knowledge or consent. I pray that they are not about to do the same thing again. But if they do, there would be a mixed blessing exposing excessive zeal.
Perhaps it might give Martyn Minns pause to realize that he has cast his lot with someone who will lie about who approves/signs a statement such as the Kigali communique.
Or maybe such lies don’t count if one is so exalted as to unilaterally set aside the choice of another province’s Primate.
If I remember correctly, this is not the first time that a statement following such a meeting has been represented as endorsed by people, some of whom later objected to having been counted as signatories.
Truth. For me that is one of the prime Christian virtues, and our behaviour as sexual beings, amongst other human attributes, depends on our ability to be truthful with one another. It isn’t the first time and won’t be the last that acceptable standards of Christian truth and behaviour have not been observed at the end of a meeting of Global South Anglicans. The same inability to hold to truth was revealed in Canon Akintunde’s post on the earlier Nigeria thread. He wrote: “Ha..ha..ha Very laughable. Apart from myself and maybe the Bishop of Otukpo, the scam is a forgotten… Read more »
“Perhaps it might give Martyn Minns pause to realize that he has cast his lot with someone who will lie about who approves/signs a statement such as the Kigali communique.”—Cynthia Gilliatt
There are those who believe Minns himself was the author. It reads like Network theology.
Colin ; given that this is going on, have you raised this with the Archbishop of Canterbury or those who should be aware of this sort of behaviour. I am concerned that they seem not to be listening to you whilst doing all they can to placate them The statement from Southern Africa displays clearly that this is not a simple issue of all from the developing world being on one ‘side’ of the argument (and clearly there are many in Malawi and other parts of Central Africa who also do not see this as a first-order issue in the… Read more »
If this is a draft document, would it have been signed by anyone? What I don’t understand is why they would publish the draft document, though. But perhaps this is another example of how strange this all is.
Mike, I thought of adding +Rowan’s name after Achbishop Njongonkulu as one of those who is perfectly well aware of what is going on in the behaviour of individual Primates such as Peter Akinola and the dynamics of last week’s Global South meeting, the election of Martyn Minns, and the relationship between these African and American individuals and groups and the poisonous, unChristian atmosphere which they are capable of generating. I doubt +Rowan has time to read Thinking Anglicans, but he does have close relationships with Primates, including the Archbishop of Cape Town, and +Rowan will be well briefed on… Read more »
I suppose what we’re seeing is an extreme example of the application of the principle of ‘double effect’. The problem with such a principle is that it reveals quite unambiguously the hierarchy of truths employed by the decision maker. It seems to me slightly unusual that truth, human rights, justice, integrity, canon law and unity occupy such low ranking in the GS moral canon that they can be set aside in order to deal with the much more important issues of sexuality and so on — but I suppose that, as a white colonialist/imperialist, not only must I be missing… Read more »
Colin Coward rightly uses the term “secessionist Americans.” There is a long succession of secessionists, especially in the ‘spikey’ former Diocese of Dallas (before the division into two jurisdictions), beginning with the PB John Hines era. It was the Civil Rights and anti-War Movements that negatively energized certain Episcopalians. N***** were to know ‘their place’ in American society and be content with menial jobs. Then there were those ‘Communists’ rooting for the Soviet Union by opposing military operations in SE Asia. The Standing Liturgical Commission in charge of Prayer Book Revision sought to reach out to those on both sides… Read more »
John Henry —
I support all you have to say (& have said much the same here, if with less detail) with one slight caveat — the Presiding Bishop is elected by the House of Bishops and approved (or not) by the House of Deputies. I mention this because there have been proposals to change this (which I oppose — the HoD does have veto power, even if they have never actually exercised it).
This is the Lord’s work and we should rejoice in it! Can you imagine, once the dust has settled there will be conservative, racist, Americans under the care of Nigerian and Ugandan bishops. The “darkies” they wouldn’t want their daughters to marry will be in positions of authority over them, far better than someone who may (Bishop Katherine et al) have once met a homosexual and been affirming and supportive of them. It’s all so very sad and such a waste of time and I, for one, am sick of being held to ransom by a part of the “Communion”… Read more »
Thank you, Prior Aelred, for the correction re. the process by which ECUSA’s PB is elected. I should have been more specific.
Well said Titus !
TRUTH! Now that there is yet another ‘clarification’ this time by the Secretary of the Global South body. One needs to ask whether someone travelled thousands of miles to attend a meeting he truly did not read its agenda. While some sections of the media focussed on the USA problems, let me quote from a September 9 post on the Global South website “some 20 Provinces will be represented at the Global South Primates Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, Sept. 19–22. They will be expected to address current Communion concerns like the proposed Anglican Covenant and its adoption process, response to… Read more »
Colin, Apologies for getting into your hairs again. I laughed because there was the impression given that the Church of Nigeria was so unfocussed as to be distracted by your man’s issue. I was distracted, but am now relaxed about it. On a serious note, I pray he manages to go frequently to church like Rose said she does. The mere fact that they claim they do so shows that contrary to western public perception, they are indeed welcome to worship in our churches. If they truly worship with us, I believe you will soon see GOD at work in… Read more »
Indeed, Canon! I hope we do see God at work in people’s lives. I pray that more and more gay people will become visible in Nigeria so that God can take the veil from your eyes and that you may see that we are real people, not some scum to be cast in prison for daring to be honest about how God made us. You may be right, God may have made us for celibacy, but you will never spread that message to gay people till you get rid of your hatred and malice. I pray God will do that.… Read more »
Tunde wrote” “…Just trying to imagine what may be influencing you…”
Thank you for documenting that you contemplate that some of us are not influenced or motivated by God. It is no longer hearsay.
Canon Tunde, your posts always have a certain character. You post in a jokey style. ‘On a lighter note…’ and ‘Are you still sure you do not want me to laugh?’ you wrote, as if I or Davis or any members of CAN are able to treat our sexuality and our concern for the Anglican Communion with anything other than real care and seriousness. No, I do not want you to laugh. When I respond with comment or criticism to what you have written about Davis, and when you repeat your unfounded lies against him, you respond by telling me… Read more »
Wow! Colin, Forgive me for getting you angry. I however have no apologies concerning your friend because all I wrote about him was true. All the ‘evidences’ you provided only strengthened the allegations and disproved what you and others read into the disclaimer. (Like saying he was never a member) “the Anglican Communion in every Province MUST make a commtment to support and welcome LGBT Anglicans.” We welcome them (you now have 2000, you say) but the gospel constrains us like ++Rowan recently did, to demand a change in lifestyle. Until that is done, as we do to polygamists, they… Read more »
Tunde,
You are not merely requiring metanoia, you are encouraging imprisonment for anyone who can’t make the change. It isn’t the same thing. it is difficult to feel the love of God when His followers have thrown you or your friends into prison. I’ve asked before, and I ask again, why is it that you cannot preach what you believe is the Gospel’s message to gay people in a humane, I’d even say Christian, way? Why the verbal assaults, why jail?
Tunde, This is the oddest sentence: “It is a pity someone had to leave before the end of the meeting (was he excused, released or expelled? We need to know)” Is the Archbishop of Capetown a child who’s been brought to the headmaster’s office? Excused? Released? Expelled? The GS group was fortunate he took the time to meet with them at all, as a free participant, who can come and go as he pleases. I note that in Ndungane’s response to the communiqué, he took every opportunity he could to praise the work of GS group, and couched his criticisms… Read more »
Colin, you should have worked out by now that the overriding tactical concern of the Nigerian Anglican hierarchy is to squelch gays. They believe that God is instructing them to do that, and therefore that any means used in pursuing that end is legitimised. Tunde is incapable of acknowledging any wrong-doing on his part, even to the point of denying what he patently wrote (“The general public is hereby warned of the activities of a person who goes by the name of Davis (David) Mac Iyalla. He claims to be a homosexual member of the Anglican Church but extensive searches… Read more »
It’s a red herring, but seems appropriate at this time. This article popped up on the internet last week http://allafrica.com/stories/200609260570.html It includes: THE Chief Justice of Nigeria(CJN), Justice Salihu Modibo Alfa Belgore yesterday reflected on the nation’s justice delivery system and declared it a disaster. In a damning analysis of the nation’s jurisprudence, the leader of the bench explained that the country’s body of law and its procedure are not only archaic, culturally irrelevant but that they also defeat the notion of justice in its entirety. According to him, “the archaic laws we have with their obsolete phraseologies, albeit in… Read more »
David, Thanks. You might want to consider the difference between “the past two years”, “active member” and “never a member” Chris, I asked because he usually does not meet with them. No disrespect meant. If he was sent packing, including his province as participating would have been in bad faith. I now have the answer. He had to leave to attend to an unexpected matter back home and there was no bad feeling about his departure on either side. Yes, he like all other primates deserve and obtain respect from each other. That is why I inferred the communiqué might… Read more »
We are in a hostile church that is never ready to change.
The church of nigeria is only encorraging us to be dishonest with our sexuality. The more we want to come out the more the church increases it attacks on us.
Tunde has nothing new to say about Davis so lets consentrate on our next General Meeting and forget about him.
Tunde and our church leaders knows very well that we are in every organ of the church of nigeria anglican communion.That is why they are supporting the Bill to ban same sex relationship in nigeria.I wonder if prayers does not work for them any more?
I do feel for Tunde, actually: as the communications bod for the archdiocese of Nigeria ‘Tunde’ doesn’t exist as an independent entity, and whether his true feelings are those presented in public is irrecoverable. ‘Tunde the priest’ may be a different person from ‘Tunde the servant of diocesan policy’, and if I were in his position I’m not sure, even if I did have misgivings about what the archdiocese was up to, that I’d have the nerve to put my own livelihood on the line, in the knowledge that someone else would come along and do what was wanted by… Read more »