International Briefing
Episcopal News Service. November 18, 2005 [111805-1-A]
* AFRICA: Churches want Mandela, Tutu, Maathai to help stem Africa strife
* ASIA: Archbishop of Canterbury to visit Pakistan
* ENGLAND: Queen Elizabeth joins in Abbey Eucharist and inauguration of new Synod
* LAMBETH PALACE: Archbishop of Canterbury responds to Global South Primates' letter
* LIBERIA: Cuttington University launches graduate programs
* MIDDLE EAST: President Bishop raises concerns about Global South Primates' letter
* NIGERIA: Province announces covenant with two North American church bodies
* TANZANIA: Anglican Church invests in the future
AFRICA: Churches want Mandela, Tutu, Maathai to help stem Africa strife
By Fredrick Nzwili
[SOURCE: Ecumenical News International] Faith-based organizations from the United States and Africa are to announce 10 to 15 names to be part of an Eminent Persons Ecumenical Program for Africa, who will employ their moral authority to stem the widespread conflict in the continent.
In the pool of 25 for selection are names like the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, former South African president Nelson Mandela, Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Kenyan environmental and ecological campaigner Professor Wangari Maathai.
"This ecumenical instrument comes at a time when the role of religion in public life is gaining greater currency," said the Rev. Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC). "It also comes at a time when the concept of regional solutions to regional problems is being translated into practical projects in Africa with a reasonable degree of success."
The names will be announced on November 18 in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, where the eminent persons' group will be launched. They will become part of a task force, led by an international partnership of religious leaders, including the heads of the Geneva-based WCC, the All Africa Conference of Churches and Church World Service (CWS).
The persons will be available at short-notice for deployment to trouble spots, where they will use their training, experience and status to engage in peace talks as well as make recommendations for action by governmental bodies and ecumenical agencies.
The Rev. John McCullough, executive director of CWS, said in a November 15 statement that the program relies on "the incredible resource embodied in the elders and distinguished individuals already in our midst" for the purpose of resolving conflicts and building a peaceful community on the continent.
"It is the moral authority of these kinds of wise men and renowned eminent Africans from the continent and the Diaspora that will help to bring people to the table to negotiate," said McCullough.
ASIA: Archbishop of Canterbury to visit Pakistan
[SOURCE: Anglican Communion News Service] The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, will visit Pakistan next week at what he calls a "highly important period for the country," reported the Anglican Communion News Service.
"This is a crucial time to be visiting Pakistan. I know that there are many concerns about those who may have survived the recent earthquake but whose future is still threatened by the onset of extremely cold weather conditions," Williams said. "I hope to learn about the things being done to transfer aid to people in the direst of needs.
The Archbishop, accompanied by his wife, Jane Williams, will travel to Pakistan at the invitation of the Church of Pakistan, whose Moderator is the Bishop of Lahore, the Rt. Rev. Alexander Malik.
"This is also a very important time for Pakistan's faith communities -- the good relations between Christians and Muslims in many parts of the U.K. and in Pakistan provide a platform for building further and for eradicating mistrust and misunderstanding," Williams said. "I am pleased to be able to visit Muslim students, scholars and leaders in the Islamic University of Islamabad and elsewhere."
During his visit, Williams will pay courtesy calls on the President of Pakistan and the country's Prime Minister, together with other senior politicians, and will visit those recovering from the recent earthquake disaster.
The Archbishop's tour will take in meetings with congregations and visits to churches and church projects and he will lead a retreat for the bishops of the Province. Towards the end of the visit, Williams will preside and preach at a special service in Lahore to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the consecration of Bishop Malik.
Full article: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/articles/40/75/acns4078.cfm
ENGLAND: Queen Elizabeth joins in Abbey Eucharist and inauguration of new Synod
[SOURCE: Anglican Communion News Service] Hundreds of members of the new Synod of the Church of England joined with Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, for a Communion Service to mark the opening of the "church's parliament" on November 15. The synod is re-formed every five years and the Queen, by custom, attends the Eucharist and speaks at the opening session, in her role as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. HRH Prince Philip joined the Queen and they were seated in the main sanctuary near the high altar.
The service, using the propers for the Holy Spirit, was held in Westminster Abbey. It began with a procession of synod members from all over the church, with each diocese being led into the abbey by their own bishop. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, was the celebrant of the service from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.
Her Majesty's speech can be found online at: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/digest/index.cfm?years=2005&months=11&article=493&pos=#493
Photographs and full article are available at: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/articles/40/50/acns4074.cfm
LAMBETH PALACE: Archbishop of Canterbury responds to Global South Primates' letter
[SOURCE: Lambeth Palace] Following the publication of a letter from a group of Global South Primates to the Archbishop of Canterbury, which raised concerns about his comments at a recent gathering in Egypt, Lambeth Palace has issued the following statement:
"The Archbishop of Canterbury has made it clear since before the time of his enthronement that neither he nor anyone else has a mandate to change the teaching of the Church by fiat. He is committed to the process to which all the primates committed themselves and their provinces in the Primates' response to the Windsor report, contained in the communique following the meeting in Dromantine.
"If this letter is a contribution to that process of debate, then it is to be welcomed, however robust. If it is an attempt to foreclose that debate, it would seem to serve very little purpose indeed."
LIBERIA: Cuttington University launches graduate programs
[SOURCE: The Analyst] The Episcopalian-run Cuttington University, formerly the Cuttington University College, in Suakoko, Bong County, Liberia, has launched graduate programs aimed at promoting higher education opportunities for universitarians in the twenty-first century.
"Cuttington is a shining example of how faith in a better future can help people overcome every adversity to do something for the common good," Margaret Larom, director of the Episcopal Church's Office of Anglican and Global Relations, said.
The Episcopal Church founded Cuttington more than 100 years ago, and has been proud to support it ever since, with both financial and missionary support, Larom explained.
Cuttington was closed for years due to the civil strife of the last decade, systematically looted more than once and its students and faculty scattered. "Nevertheless, Cuttington was able to reopen in 1998 thanks to the unceasing efforts of Dr. Melvin Mason and senior staff to keep hope alive," Larom said. "Through Episcopal Relief and Development, the Association of Episcopal Colleges, and the Friends of Cuttington, many Episcopalians throughout the USA joined with Liberians in raising funds to make needed repairs, pay salaries, and provide scholarships. The USAID agency, American Schools and Hospitals Abroad, demonstrated its commitment to higher education in Liberia by making substantial grants to restore electricity and water to the campus."
In 2002, Dr. Henrique Tokpa took up the challenge of strengthening and expanding Cuttington.
"More than once, due to outbreaks of violence, the campus had to be evacuated -- but neither students nor faculty ever gave up," Larom added. "The undergraduate programs have grown and now there are significant new programs at the graduate level, so vital for rebuilding this beautiful country."
Bishop Edward W. Neufville of Liberia and chairman of Board of Trustees of Cuttington University, inducted Tokpa as sixth president of the university.
Speaking on the theme "Make the Best of What You Have," Neufville called on the students of Liberia to take the path of their academic sojourn very seriously so as to be able to play vital roles in the nation's reconstruction drive after years of brutal civil conflict.
In his induction speech, Tokpa promised the academic community that he would strive to make Cuttington the best university in the country. He said the institution will maintain high academic standard and that he would effectively and efficiently manage the affairs of the University.
Despite the series of problems that have confronted Cuttington, "the university continues to have great academic programs, excellent learning environment and capable and honest instructional staffs, among others," Tokpa said. "We will encourage employees to be efficient and productive in the development of programs that will attract more students, meet the manpower development needs of the nation and implement relevant programs that will generate revenues for the University."
"It's hard to imagine a more inspiring story, Larom said, "and we salute Dr. Tokpa, the staff and administration and students of Cuttington, and the board of trustees for making university education a reality -- not just a dream -- in war-torn Liberia."
MIDDLE EAST: President Bishop raises concerns about Global South Primates' letter
[SOURCE: Anglican Communion News Service] The Most Rev. Clive Handford, President Bishop of Jerusalem and the Middle East, has raised concerns that a personal letter from a group of Global South Primates to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, was "posted on conservative evangelical websites and was being read around the world before he had had an opportunity to read it himself."
Handford described the incident as "most regrettable," adding that it is in "no way helpful to the Church's mission that a personal letter, which should have been confidential, was broadcast in this way."
Also concerned that his name had been associated with the letter without his permission, Handford said that he attended the Global South Encounter in Egypt "with some reluctance," but felt that it was appropriate for him to be there because the meeting was taking place in the Province of which he is President Bishop. "In no way did I give permission for my name to be associated with the letter," he said.
Speaking about Williams' presence at the conference, Handford said, "We witnessed a man of God responding in a clear and pastoral way with a desire for understanding and reconciliation. The only appropriate response, not least in the current ongoing process in the whole Anglican Communion, should surely have been one of gracious gratitude to the Archbishop for his clarity and pastoral concern."
Full statement: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/articles/40/75/acns4079.cfm
NIGERIA: Province announces covenant with two North American church bodies
[ENS] The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has developed a covenant between itself and the Reformed Episcopal Church and the Anglican Province of America, describing the move as a "historic moment," and "part of the realignment of global Anglicanism."
The covenants were developed on November 12 during a conference of conservative and orthodox Anglicans meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Most Rev. Peter J. Akinola, Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), has been a leading voice in the opposition to the consecration of the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the Communion's first openly gay bishop. This latest move, which serves to strengthen the ties between the Nigerian Church and "orthodox" Anglicans in the United States, challenges the historic structures of the Anglican Communion which bind together provinces through an expression of being in Communion with the See of Canterbury. Neither the Reformed Episcopal Church nor the Anglican Province of America are members of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
The covenant pledges "mutual cooperation, support, discipline and accountability" and recognizes that all three churches share a "commitment to the Faith once delivered, based on the irrevocable Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the final authority for faith and life."
The three Churches have united specifically for joint mission in North America, the covenant explains. "[I]ndividual congregations of all three jurisdictions, within proximate geographic locations, would work closely and cooperatively together to demonstrate their commitment to one another and their desire to witness to a consistent Biblical, Evangelical and Catholic expression of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."
Full text of the covenant: http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/articles/40/75/acns4075.cfm
TANZANIA: Anglican Church invests in the future
By Diana Mavunduse
[SOURCE: Anglican Church of Canada] The Anglican Church of Tanzania (ACT) is embarking on an educational project that will see the establishment of an Anglican university in the country.
The institution, to be known as St. John's University, is set tentatively to start operating in September 2006 and will be located in Dodoma, capital city of Tanzania.
"Starting a university is a crucial enterprise to the future of our nation and our people," said Archbishop Donald Mtetemela, Primate of ACT, in a fundraising appeal for the project.
The churches' role in education was critically weakened when the government in the late 1960s nationalized all church social services institutions. However, through the network of its 19 dioceses, ACT has been trying to regain its educational initiative by building new secondary and primary schools.
Youth are a huge proportion of the church, hence the project is a concrete outreach to them. "It was exciting to see the enthusiasm and excitement for a post secondary education by the delegates especially the youth who attended the ACT 13th general synod," said Jill Cruse, Anglican Church of Canada's mission coordinator for Africa who visited Tanzania recently.
The university project is seen by Tanzanians as a road to self-reliance. "They see the project as a way of increasing their capacity so as to control their own destinies," said Cruse.
Full story: http://www.anglican.ca/news/news.php?newsItem=2005-11-15_Tanzaniainvestsinfuture.news
Information about the Anglican Church of Tanzania can be found online at: http://www.anglican.or.tz