Primates meeting Day 4 – Zimbabwe

Tuesday evening’s press conference focussed on Zimbabwe, which had been the subject of the Primate’s session on Monday evening. The Primate of Southern Africa, the Rt Revd Thabo Makgoba and the Rt Revd Albert Chama representing the Province of Central Africa came to speak directly of their experience. The Primates’ Statement on Zimbabwe can be found on the Anglican Communion website.

Archbishop Thabo spoke of the urgency of the situation in Zimbabwe, the total collapse of the economy and the socio-political structure. He stressed that Robert Mugabe’s power is illegitimate and he needs to step down. The cholera epidemic is ravaging the population and affecting South Africa as well, and SA is receiving countless refugees. We would be failing God, he said, if we don’t intervene, he said, quoting Matthew 25.35 – “when I was hungry, you fed me.”

Both Archbishop Thabo and Bishop Albert spoke of the tensions between Bishops Nolbert Kunonga and Elson Jakazi, the former Anglican bishops who are still holding on to church properties, and Sebastian Bakare the new bishop. Bishop Albert described his amazement at how faithful the people can be towards their God. They are locked out of their churches and have to meet outside to pray and worship and celebrate communion. Other churches have offered hospitality but they are then targeted by the police. Bishop Sebastian offers oversight and what protection he can to these faithful Anglicans.

When there was the
possibility of an inclusive government being formed, the police began to change, he said, and their violence against the general population diminished, but now Zimbabwe is back to square one and threats to the lives of church leaders have resumed.

Questioned by David Virtue about Archbishop John Sentamu’s call for armed intervention, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba carefully set out the actions he would like to see taken to secure the hoped for transition to a new government. We don’t want to see another massacre, he said. We see people being kidnapped and killed every day.

David Virtue wasn’t satisfied with this answer and repeated his question, which Archbishop Thabo generously responded to again. I was awed by Archbishop Thabo’s profound calmness and wisdom as he described the events taking place in Zimbabwe and the terrors and threats to which Anglicans are being subjected, not just by the state forces but by their deposed bishop.

The story David Virtue was hunting for was clearly that of a conflict between Archbishops Sentamu and Makgoba. He didn’t seem to have been aware of the extraordinary presence of two holy and thoughtful Anglican leaders from southern Africa, the courage they show and the tragedy they described. More shocking than that was David’s parting remark as he left the press conference – “I want sex stuff.”

Changing Attitude is committed to our Communion and to all our Primates and bishops, and we live with the most profound respect for those ministering in extreme circumstances. We call upon our supporters to ensure that their churches and parishes attend to the call of the Primates to join with the Anglican Church of Southern Africa in observing Wednesday 25th February 2009, Ash Wednesday, as a day of prayer and solidarity with the Zimbabwean people.

Primates meeting Day 3 - On being Christian

Having posted the previous four reports and dealt with the business of the Primates meeting itself, I can allow myself a moment to reflect on more personal matters.

David Virtue proclaims his web site, VirtueonLine, to be “The voice for Global Orthodox Anglicanism.” If David’s style of Christianity is what the conservative Primates and leaders are advocating, then count me out.

David has referred to me in the two reports he has filed so far. In the first, he writes that Bishop Gene Robinson is mercifully not here, “but his representative thinking is here in the person of (The Rev.) Colin Coward of Changing Attitude, a British-based pansexual Anglican organization moving to have its abominable behavior brokered into the church.” In his second report he describes me as a “homogenital leader.”

A pansexual Anglican and a homogenital leader – why does David create words which are designed to be abusive and denigrate another Christian? Fortunately, David is not representative of the views of those conservative Primates and leaders he claims to be associated with. Nevertheless, he does claim to be to voice for orthodox Anglicanism, and many bishops and primates relate to him closely.

When I read David’s reports and those who comment on his blog and on Stand Firm, I wonder whether many of them share Christian values of love and truth with me. They seek to denigrate other Christians. Presiding Bishop Catherine Jefferts Schori is repeatedly referred to as Ms Jefferts Schori. This is deliberately and deeply offensive and childish.



In the foyer of the Helnan Palestine hotel yesterday as Primates left their afternoon session, Brenda and I met various Archbishops, including John Sentamu who commented on my loudness as always. As we talked with Errol Brooks from the West Indies, David hovered proprietorially. I sensed his anxiety as we talked with a bishop who he deems to be “one of his”. I could be wrong, of course, but there is a pattern of behaviour which wants to see a conspiracy round every corner.

David is almost certainly encouraging “his” bishops not to give ground, to press for a covenant with teeth and punishment for the naughty North Americans. I hope the conservative Primates have independence of mind and deeper Christian love and generosity.

Primates meeting Day 3 - Schism

David Virtue of Virtueonline asked a question about schism at the press conference - whether what we are facing is not schism but a parallel jurisdiction. With the formation of GAFCON and ACNA to which 75% are committed, the train has already left the station, he claimed. This was speculation about what might be, said Phillip Aspinall. A movement towards the reconciliation of these groups within the Communion is still possible.

David also claims in his reports that a row can be expected because the Diocese of Toronto is proceeding with same sex blessings and the Bishop of Colorado has recently ordained a partnered lesbian to the priesthood. These are Windsor violating actions, David says.

The elephant in the room will be the new North American Anglican Province, (ACNA). David expects tempers to flare from Primates he styles as “western pan-Anglican liberals” like Jefferts Schori, (US) Fred Hiltz (Canada) and Barry Morgan (Wales) who oppose any such innovation. In opposition to them will be the GAFCON primates, led by the “unflinching” Nigerian Primate Peter Akinola. A row can be expected, says David.

All the signs are that he is wrong. The Global South Primates specifically asked “the American franchise bishops of AMIA, CANA, Uganda, Kenya and Bishop Robert Duncan Moderator of the Anglican Communion Network, and ACNA leader … to stay away this time.”

The Global South Primates may be planning such a move against the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates from other parts of the Communion. But David may be reading the signs of the times wrongly. David, presumably now a dissident ex-member of the Episcopal Church, has a lot invested in the success of a new North American Province which, in alliance with the Global South Network and hopes of a similar movement in England, will eventually replace Canterbury and the present Anglican Communion.

David and his allies in AMiA, CANA and ACNA need their secessionist movement to succeed to prove the rightness of their campaign against the full inclusion of women and LGBT people in the church. Another evolutionary movement which seems to be taking place at the moment is a change of relationship between the African, Asian and South American Global South Provinces and their colleagues in North America. The Americans have a lot invested (financially and strategically) in the success of their new church. Signs are, the Primates are more interested in reconciliation than schism.

Primates meeting Day 3 - Role of Primates and the other Instruments

Phillip Aspinall said the bishops at the Lambeth Conference had said that the Archbishops have too much to say! The Primates were aware of this concern, he said. In addition, parts of the Communion are very conscious of the need for clergy and lay people to be involved. The move initiated at the Anglican Consultative Council Meeting in Nottingham to make the Primates part of the ACC has lapsed.

I was present at the meeting in Nottingham and there was great anxiety among the more liberal members there about this proposal. The conservative Primates present seemed determined to drive it through. This is another very significant change for the Communion which adds to my sense of hope. I believe we are further round the corner in the direction of creative change towards a genuinely inclusive Communion than I had imagined.

Phillip said there has been a change in the ecclesial understanding of the Primates meeting. In 1988 the focus was on prayer, in 1998 the Primates saw their role as stepping in and intervening. There was an expectation in the past that the Primates needed to do something to fix the situation. They tried, and some interventions were more and some less successful. Now there is a recognition that this hasn’t worked. The Primates have found the limit of their authority.

This is a fluid thing – all the instruments are in a state of flux, especially in the ways they relate to each other. Each time they respond to the context in which they meet.

The Anglican Consultative Council changes its dynamic over time and there have been changes in the Lambeth Conference. There were suggestions that the bishops should meet more often or that diocesan bishops should meet every 5 years.

The Archbishop of Canterbury is also trying to lead flexibly and responsively. ++Rowan is very sensitive to the limits of his authority and the proper role he can play in other Provinces. His role is limited. +Rowan is encouraging the exploration of relationships. Canterbury will continue to be vital and pivotal in the Communion.

The role and dynamic of the four Instruments of Communion, two of which are of very recent origin, have always been in a state of evolution, and rightly so. I believe that the extraordinarily costly, patient work which has been undertaken by the Archbishop of Canterbury is bearing real and deep fruit. The Primates not at Lambeth have returned to the fold. They are all in the room together here at Alexandria, and unless I am misreading the signs or David Virtue has influence way beyond his status, Phillip Aspinall is accurately reporting the state of play.

Of course there are tensions and differences of opinion in the room, but with the help of their brother and sister Primates, those who have been plotting for a different outcome are in conversation with one another and moving towards healing, reconciliation and deeper communion and unity.

Primates meeting Day 3 - Covenant

Philip Aspinall reported that Archbishop John Chew presented a report as a member of the Covenant Design Group. The deadline for sending responses to the St Andrews draft is 9th March. A further revised draft will then be produced and presented to the Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Jamaica in May.

Phillip Aspinall said there is a general warming to the possibilities that might be offered by the Covenant and an increasing realism about what the Covenant can and cannot do. There is a pulling back from language about sanctions and teeth. The Covenant is instead being seen as a framework for koinonia, fellowship, communion and relationships. If there were to be a failure of process in the Communion, the response should be to invest more in fellowship and koinonia, not to impose sanctions or exclude a Province, Primate or bishop from a meeting. The Provinces are committed to the process of the development of the Covenant.

David Virtue asked how it was possible to have discipline in the Communion without a theological framework and with no content. Phillip Aspinall responded that there is indeed a theological framework in the Covenant – the creeds, sacraments and scriptures are there.

He said that the Australian Church had looked at three ways in which the Covenant might be adopted.
1. It might be added to the Constitution of the church, but given the number of years it had taken to formulate the Constitution, this was highly unlikely.
2. It might be passed as a Canon in General Synod. The Canon would need to be adopted by each diocese. It was likely that not all dioceses would vote to approve the Canon and it would fail, so this route is also unlikely.
3. It might be adopted by a resolution in General Synod, and this is the most likely option. The Canon would have no legal force and would be dependent on moral obligation to be effective

Each church makes a gift to the others by freely choosing to limit its autonomy where a course of action might be gravely problematic for the rest (my interpretation). The prime investment is in mutual respect and courtesy. The only sanction available is non-invitation to meetings and that would be counter to the need to work through communion and koinonia.

The Lambeth Conference pulled back, and the reflections showed concern about the language of sanctions. The Primates are also pulling back though some would still like to press the discipline question.

The message from yesterday’s press conference is that the direction the Covenant is taking in response to Lambeth and the feedback the Covenant Design Group has received is a move further away from a Covenant with sanctions. The conservative Primates, bishops and opinion formers such as David Virtue have been clamouring for a Covenant with teeth. Wiser council has prevailed, reinforced by the bishops who met at Lambeth and encouraged by the wisdom of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

As I have predicted, the Covenant will encourage the Communion to be more rather than less Christian in its relationships. It will encourage deeper communion, the profound primary value of human relationships, koinonia and fellowship. It will not seek to exclude but include. It will not seek to punish but nurture and draw people and Provinces together. It puts relationships with God and one another, in love, at the centre of our common life.

As I read today’s lesson, 1 Corinthians 13, this morning, I was reminded that for all that St Paul addresses details of behaviour, his primary focus is on love, followed by faith and hope. St Paul trusts love to be patient and kind, never boastful, rude or conceited. A Covenant moving in this direction could be welcomed by those who at present still fear it might give teeth to Primates who will use sanctions abusively.

Primates meeting Day 3 - Sexuality and Mission Presentations

On Monday morning five Primates made presentations to the meeting at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury on the effect on mission that the Communion’s dispute on human sexuality is having. My report on the press conference follows, but I was struck by the first of the presentations highlighted by Phillip Aspinall, from a Province in which the bishops had met and discussed human sexuality. He said they had not allowed discussion to take place at any level below them in the church because the bishops were worried about what could happen if discussion percolated down into the public realm.

The bishops might have made a wise decision, based on knowledge of their own Province. Alternatively, their decision might have been patronising in the extreme, either not trusting their people to be able to engage with issues of sexuality and think about them wisely. The fear, of course, is that people’s faith and practice might be changed, and in the minds of the bishops, undermined, by such open discussion. We weren’t told which Province this was, but we might guess.

Changing Attitude’s research among lesbian and gay people in general, and Anglicans in particular, shows that they are as capable as LGBT people anywhere in the world of understanding themselves and the relationship between faith and sexuality. They are wise people and they behave with wisdom. They reveal a maturity and level of trust lacking in the bishops of whichever country Philip Aspinall reported.

We in the west are only too well aware of the dangers of authority figures thinking they know what is best for us and controlling information to maintain power and authority. There is evidence that autocratic models are even more in evidence in parts of the Global South. The Archbishop of Canterbury is specifically advocating a model of flexibility and sensitivity.

Lesbian and gay Anglicans in Nigeria, to give just one example from Africa, long to be able to open themselves to the church - their priests and bishops - and tell their own stories. For as long as bishops in any Province patronise their lay people and clergy by withholding information they keep them in ignorance. Almost certainly their people have a mind of their own, and the bishops fear the independence of thought that might go with it. By denying access to any process of listening they collude in maintaining oppression against LGBT people.

The bishops might be right, of course. By making information about sexuality public, they might undermine people’s faith and Christian practice. I would prefer they trusted God and their people and allowed information to be shared freely.

Press Conference report
At the press conference, Phillip Aspinall reported the following:
The five Primates making a presentation were the Most Revd Stephen Than Myint Oo (Myanmar), the Most Revd Thabo Cecil Makgoba (Southern Africa), the Most Revd Katharine Jefferts Schori (The Episcopal Church), the Most Revd Frederick J Hiltz (Canada) and the Most Revd Henry Luke Orombi (Uganda) gave presentations on the impact the sexuality debate in the Anglican Com­munion has had on the mission of their provinces.

Archbishop Phillip said that the presentations were very different, affected by very different influences and mission priorities. The way that the mission situation is affecting the life of the church means there is huge variety of responses to the effect of the debate on human sexuality. Archbishop Aspinal outlined two contrasting presentations.

In one, the bishops of the Province had met and discussed human sexuality but because in their culture, views about marriage and sexuality are very traditional, the bishops were worried about what would happen if the discussion percolated down into the public realm.

In another, human sexuality was a real and very live issue in society in general but the church is not driving the issue - it is there already and there is a huge diversity of opinion.

In all the presentations there was a clear commitment to mission. Human sexuality is not a challenge solely to Anglicans but to other denominations as well and the society in general. The extent to which scripture is interpreted is affected by local circumstances and by the spectacles we wear.

Archbishop Thabo Makoba reflected on the divisive debate that had taken place in the Southern African church around the ethics of armed struggle to overthrow apartheid, and yet the church had stayed together through it.

Primates meeting Day 3 – the first press conference

The first press conference was held at 6.30pm Monday in a smart conference room off the foyer of the Helnan Palestine Hotel. Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, the Primate of Australia, is the archbishop delegated to report the deliberations of the Primates to the media.

The meeting started with a good atmosphere, he said. There are tensions and issues we have to face but not the level of anxiety there has been at previous meetings. There is a lower level of anxiety and the Lambeth Conference in July last year may have made a difference. At Lambeth relationships were deepened and the bishops present showed that they are deeply committed to the Communion.

The Primates began with a quiet morning on Sunday. Archbishop Rowan focussed on the third chapter of the book of Revelation, the letters to the churches at Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea, to churches that were in a spot of bother or trouble. Is their experience a reflection of life in our churches now, he asked. The letters are salutary for us. He reminded the Primates of the note of promise which ends these letters.

I will follow this opening blog on the first press conference with a number of reports focussing on the Sexuality and Mission presentations, the Covenant, the Role of Primates and the other Instruments and Schism, ending with a commentary on the way in which some commentators cast other members of the Communion in a shockingly un-Christian light.