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Anglican Provinces in Africa Assured that Episcopal Church Grants Don't Carry Conditions

Episcopal News Service. October 2, 2003 [031002-1]

James Solheim

The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church and the director of the grants program at New York's Trinity Church Wall Street have reassured Anglican church leaders in Africa that there are no strings attached to support for their mission.

Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, in a letter to the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) at its recent meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, addressed the rumors that the Episcopal Church "has threatened African primates with withholding our support. The Episcopal Church has no ideological litmus test for overseas partners and has 'punished' no one for holding different opinions of church order."

He said that the church "has for years shared generously of its financial and human resources with churches around the world, including with churches that refuse to ordain women, to give just one example of divergent practices."

"CAPA needs to be commended for its work-from the training of new bishops in Africa to your commitment to HIV/AIDS education, prevention and pastoral care," said Griswold in a letter read to the meeting by the Rev. Benjamin Musoke-Lubega, the African officer in the Office of Anglican and Global Relations. "We value our partnership and look forward to learning and witnessing together," Griswold added.

The Episcopal Church provides 31 percent of CAPA's annual budget. In 2002 that amounted to $106,000.

Healthy partnership

"We do not believe we have to see eye to eye with you on every issue to work with you around common mission concerns," said the Rev. James Callaway of Trinity. "More concisely stated: You don't have to agree with us to be eligible for a Trinity grant. That has been our policy in the past, it is our policy now, and it will remain our policy," he said during an address to the council.

He said that Trinity's ministry would continue to partner with provinces and dioceses regardless of their views in the on-going sexuality debate within the Anglican Communion, especially in the wake of the election in New Hampshire of Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the church, and the recognition that blessings of same-gender relationships in some dioceses of the Episcopal Church USA are "within the bounds of our common life."

Addressing the issue of how to "respond to the internal differences within one another's dioceses and provinces," Callaway said that Trinity is convinced that "in a healthy partnership we should feel free to debate the issues between ourselves, to express our views as strongly as we wish within the bounds of Christian charity, but that we should do so within a framework of respect for one another's autonomy as provinces."

Callaway did report, however, that Trinity doesn't give grants to "dissenting parishes or individuals in other provinces because we do not feel it is appropriate for us to be promoting division in those provinces." He said that it was policy to form partnerships with "the official leaders of your dioceses and provinces."

He added, "On a wider level, we feel that unless the Communion decides on another way of operating, it would be inappropriate for us in the United States to take your dissenting parishes and dioceses within our jurisdiction, or to be consecrating bishops in your provinces who wish to set themselves in opposition to you."

He reported that, in the last five years, Trinity had given 84 grants throughout Africa-in every province.

Continued growth

Archbishop Robert Okine of Kenya, the outgoing chair of CAPA, expressed joy with the growth of the churches represented in the organization, saying that the growth was in response to meeting the needs and challenges of over 40 million Anglicans in Africa. The council resolved to enhance interfaith relations and work together with other faith communities in the search for peace in war-torn regions of Africa. It will also continue its emphasis on fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Delegates participated in dedication services for CAPA House, the new headquarters in Nairobi, built with support from the United Thank Offering

(UTO) of the Episcopal Church. UTO coordinator JoAnne Chapman attended the ceremonies and said that the organization was thrilled to be part of such a major accomplishment in the life of Anglican churches in Africa.

"The United Thank Offering remains committed to the Anglican provinces of Africa," Chapman said, pointing out that in 2003 it approved 11 grants totaling $346,484.

Call for unity

The newly elected chair of CAPA, Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, told the 50 delegates-including primates, bishops, clergy, laity and partners-that there were no internal rifts in the church in Africa, that the church's stand on issues of human sexuality was guided by biblical teaching and the resolutions of the 1998 Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops from around the world.

"The point is that we as the Anglican Church in Africa will continue to uphold biblical teaching on human sexuality, marriage and the family," he said at a news conference. Akinola has attacked the election of Robinson as "a Satanic attack on God's church."

At a meeting prior to the CAPA meeting, the synod of bishops in the Province of Southern Africa said that it was "not of one mind" on sexuality issues but added, "We are of one mind in our desire to dialogue and to facilitate such dialogue and listening among all our members" and that everyone is included in that dialogue.

Encourage honesty

"The church has always taught that the holy place for sexual intimacy is in a life-long, faithful marriage between one man and one woman, but some now argue that gays and lesbians should be affirmed in same-sex relationships that are faithful, monogamous and committed," said Archbishop Winston Ndungane, primate of Southern Africa

Ndungane has criticized his fellow African bishops for what he called an "ostrich mentality" on the issue of homosexuality. "It is no secret that there are gay clergy and there are gay bishops, and the institutional church seems to be turning a blind eye when we should be encouraging honesty," he said in a recent interview with a British newspaper.

"If Gene Robinson had kept quiet there would have been no issue." He described as "arrogant" the claim that the Diocese of New Hampshire didn't know that it was doing when it elected him. "We have got to respect their decision," said Ndungane, who did not attend the CAPA meeting.

In response, Akinola fiercely criticized Ndungane, suggesting that it was "an attempt to cause a possible division of focus amongst African and Global South church leaders." And he said that the real arrogance was "in those whose flagrant disregard of the stand of the entire Anglican Communion has plunged us into this sad and avoidable controversy." He even suggested that Ndungane's "unguarded and scathing criticism" might be the result of a "latent feeling of hurt since the Lambeth Conference committee on human sexuality you chaired was overwhelmingly overruled by the so-called hardliners who are not willing to compromise the precious heritage of scriptural truth."

[thumbnail: JoAnne Chapman, director...] [thumbnail: (ENS photo by James Calla...] [thumbnail: (ENS photo by James Calla...]