CANTERBURY, UK: Global South Leaders will not stay to Indaba with new ABC following InstallationPrivate Communique from Welby divides Primates into three groups to avoid conservative/liberal clash
Tight Security surrounds Welby Enthronement. British Royalty to attend
By David W. Virtue in Canterbury www.virtueonline.org
March 20, 2013
Amidst fiercely tight security within the Roman city walls of Canterbury Cathedral where some 2000 are expected including members of the British royal family to observe the official enthronement tomorrow of Justin Welby as the new archbishop of Canterbury and leader of 70 million Anglicans, a behind the scenes struggle is taking place over whether orthodox Primates from the Global South will meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury following his installation.VOL received a private communique in which Archbishop Welby is offering the Primates an opportunity to be welcomed by him and his wife Caroline in the Old Palace, "to pray together and spend time with the Archbishop and with one another."
To keep fiercely opposing Primates from meeting each other, he has split the Primates into three groups which VOL's source called a "divide and rule" strategy to engage different groups with Indaba talks with his new Director of Reconciliation. However, Global South Primates have made it clear they will not be seen in the same room with Katharine Jefferts Schori, The Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop. They regard her as heretical over doctrinal and sexuality issues. More than a third of the Primates were no shows at the last gathering of Primates in Dublin called by Archbishop Rowan Williams.
VOL obtained this schedule.
07.30 Morning Prayer with all the Primates in the Old Palace Chapel
08.00 - 9.00 Breakfast with Primates Group 1
12.30-13.30 Pre-lunch drinks with Primates Group 2
13.30 -16.00 Lunch and Meeting with all Primates 16.00-17.30
Tea with Primates Group 3
The communique was signed by The Rev. Canon Flora Winfield, The Archbishop of Canterbury's Secretary for Anglican Relations.
VOL has learned that many of the Global South archbishops will slip quietly away immediately after the enthronement in order to avoid an embarrassing confrontation with Jefferts Schori in front of the new ABC such as took place in Dromantine, Ireland when US PB Frank Griswold accused Rowan Williams of being weak in not dealing strongly with African archbishops over homosexuality.
Following Williams' early retirement as Archbishop of Canterbury, Nigerian Archbishop Nicholas Okoh wrote the most scathing review of Williams saying he left behind a Communion in tatters: highly polarized, bitterly factionalized, with issues of revisionist interpretation of the Holy Scriptures and human sexuality as stumbling blocks to oneness, evangelism and mission all around the Anglican world.
VOL broke the news in February http://tinyurl.com/d7llrnn that Welby would be in for a bumpy ride with orthodox Global South leaders if he did not rein in theologically renegade bishops like Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and Canadian Anglican Archbishop Fred Hiltz.
Sources in Africa told VOL that archbishops from provinces like Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya have said that they will continue their policy of not appearing at future primatial meetings if Jefferts Schori is invited. The Communion will devolve into two distinct Anglican bodies with the Global South drawing together orthodox Anglicans from across the globe under FCA/GAFCON.
Welby is endeavoring to get all the Primates in the same room while they are in Canterbury in order to take advantage of their natural desire not to offend a new ABC. To stave off the possibility of open dissension, Welby, in one of his first official acts as the new ABC, has appointed Canon David Porter as his Director of Reconciliation to "enable the Church to make a powerful contribution to transforming the often violent conflicts which overshadow the lives of so many people in the world."
According to the Daily Mail http://tinyurl.com/cu2odac African Anglican leaders are furious over plans to allow gay clergy to become bishops. An article in the Daily Mail says African and Asian archbishops plan to snub a "reconciliation" meeting with the ABC over gay clergy at a meeting called by the new archbishop scheduled to take place tomorrow.
In the documents the Mail received, the Primate of Kenya, Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, said he recommended that "we show our commitment to the Anglican Communion by being present for the service at Canterbury Cathedral . . . but do not participate in the 'collegial time' being proposed by Archbishop Welby."
In recent days Welby is quoted as saying, "I know I need to listen very attentively to the LGBT communities, and examine my own thinking prayerfully and carefully." He also called for an open on-going discussion and dialogue with LGBT people. He is being accused by some of "wobbling" on the issues.
Nine of the Communion's 38 primates have said bishops in the Church of England were "wrong" to approve new rules allowing gay men to become bishops at a time when the Anglican Church faces "major challenges of disunity".
The Archbishop of the Province of the Indian Ocean, the Most Rev Ian Ernest, who is general secretary of the Global South group, said he hoped Archbishop Welby would listen to their concerns.
"As a member of the Global South I strongly believe that the Church of England and the Episcopal Church have got to be able to listen to our views. One of the issues is that the Episcopal Church is not attentive to the rest of the Communion and has to be faithful to what has been decided in past years," he told The Sunday Telegraph.
A source in Africa told VOL that Welby is scrambling to do damage control.
END
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