Sir Paul Reeves Departs United Nations Post, Urges Anglicans to 'Embrace the Globe'
Episcopal News Service. January 13, 1994 [94007]
Three years ago, in a short, colorful ceremony that combined Anglican ritual and indigenous Maori tradition, the Rt. Rev. Sir Paul Reeves was "handed over" by a small group of New Zealanders to become the first fulltime Anglican Observer at the United Nations.
Reeves, a former primate of the Church of the Province of New Zealand who had just completed a six-year term as governor-general of that country, accepted the new appointment by the Anglican Consultative Council with support from the Diocese of New York and Trinity Church, Wall Street.
Since Reeves's installation service, life at the United Nations has been anything but quiet. The Persian Gulf War, the collapse of the former Soviet Union, progress in South Africa towards a multiracial democratic society, the balkanization of the Balkan States, the peace accords in El Salvador, the introduction of the U.S. military and U.N. peacekeeping forces in Somalia, the continuing crisis in Haiti, the Palestinian-Israeli accord -- all of these events and more have occurred during Reeve's tenure at the United Nations.
As he was preparing to leave his post at the United Nations, Reeves looked back on his tenure with a sense of satisfaction for his work, coupled with a determination that the Anglican Communion must continue to participate in the life of the United Nations.
"I would hope that I could be seen as someone who has opened the doors of the church to the United Nations, and opened the doors of the United Nations to allow the church to come in," Reeves said in an interview in his office at the Episcopal Church Center in New York.
"I would hope that we've managed to persuade the Anglican Communion that if it is really a global community, then it must relate to the best global forum we've got...the United Nations," Reeves added. "And if they (the United Nations) have problems, then we have problems, because in some ways our situations are similar. We have much to learn from each other."
Reeves said that he was "pleasantly surprised" at the success of his office, especially since he had no precedent to follow when he began this ministry. "It was a bit of a risk, but I think the gamble is paying off," he said.
The receptionist area outside of Reeve's office revealed his passions -- a map of New Zealand and colorful photographs and posters of indigenous peoples around the world adorned the walls. However, in his own office, stacks of paper spilled out of manila file folders, his desk piled high with various publications.
Reeves has the kind of engaging personality that would suit him well in a social occasion. He talks easily and warmly with those around him. It is just as easy to imagine him at a reception, or in the hallways of the United Nations, as in the intimacy of the confessional. Reeves displays an abundant energy -- somewhere between zest and impatience. He has an air of confidence about him and a very earthy -- some might even say blunt -- way of speaking. And yet, Reeves has perfected the art of diplomacy. He is able to be gentle and expansive in one moment; forceful and to-the-point in the next.
"There are those who say that the United Nations is our best hope for the world that we live in, and I think I would be one of them," Reeves said. "But I am also saying that bringing that dream and that hope into reality is proving remarkably difficult."
Despite the much heralded "New World Order," following the end of the Cold War, Reeves contended that the United Nations has not yet fully met the challenges of that order. "In a time when money and resources are short, I see the United Nations as tempted to divide into fiefdoms and tribal divisions, each section looking after its own interest," he said. "Therefore, coordination and communication and morale are not very high or wellpracticed just at this moment. So, the world seems to be a threatening, uneasy and dangerous place out there.
"I think nations are finding it very hard to deal with the concept of the 'world' as a viable entity in which anybody can place their hopes and future," Reeves added. "Therefore, regional structures -- such as NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) -- are finding support. Those who can get inside these regional, international structures will benefit and those on the outside will not benefit," he said. "And therefore, I believe that the distinction between rich and poor will continue."
Reeves is no more optimistic about the possibility that the United Nations will soon have a standing army, much less a full commitment by member nations to the idea of collective security. He cited the examples of Bosnia as well as Somalia. "The United Nations is having to deal now with the souring of the idea that it can be an international presence. And regarding the secretary-general's advocacy for a standing army -- I see no signs of that coming about."
Reeves is also concerned about the democratic process within the structure of the United Nations itself. "The question is, 'How democratic is the United Nations?' and the answer is, 'Not really,'" he said. Reeves suggested that an informal alliance of North American and European interests continue to dominate the United Nations, and that the UN charter supports that dominance.
"I think that the United Nations in some ways is resistant, almost impervious to citizen pressure," Reeves said. "I was just talking with a group of people who want to set up some sort of UN monitor who would have oversight over the way the United Nations does its work and then seek to bring much of that out into the area of public debate so that citizen pressure can begin to be expressed."
During his time at the United Nations Reeves was already well acquainted with the title "monitor." He served on a UN-sponsored, ecumenical team that monitored situations of violence in South Africa as it began dismantling apartheid. From that vantage, Reeves worried that the upcoming South African elections might be accompanied by violence. "I see no justification for saying that there won't be violence -- the violence is there now," he said.
Nevertheless, Reeves said that the April elections would provide "a kernel for the basis of a democratic form of government which will enable South Africa to make new approaches to existing issues.
"I don't think we can expect that apartheid will disappear from South Africa easily or quickly," Reeves warned, "because it is in the educational system, it's in the housing system and it is expressed through the economy. South Africa is in it for the long haul," he said.
Reeves pointed out that other racist situations have had similar resilience. "Three years in New York have said to me that it takes a long time for a country to get slavery out of its system. I see the signs of it all around me. In some ways, the descendants of the slaves aren't doing too well even now," he asserted.
Whatever happens in the April elections, Reeves expressed a hope that progress in South Africa might influence the rest of the continent. "South Africa has been our agenda for a long time and it's important that we should be able to take it off the top of our agenda because there are many other situations in Africa that need our attention and we've got to get to them," he said.
"What happens in South Africa is important for the rest of Africa -- if South Africa can pull something off, that's important for the whole continent," Reeves added.
In addition to criss-crossing the United States and Canada during his tenure at the United Nations, Reeves has visited widely around the world. Among the places he visited were Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Switzerland, Jordan, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Austria and India. As Reeves surveyed conditions across the globe, he was especially urgent that people of faith have a contribution to make in solving the world's problems. As for the Anglican Communion, Reeves reported that it has "a recognized stature" at the United Nations because of its global reach.
"What the UN wants from us is a spiritual contribution -- they want to feel that we've got a handle on our religious tradition that will help them as they deal with the ethical and moral issues that they face," Reeves said.
"But in addition to the church as a bearer of spiritual tradition, the UN also sees the church as a practical organization able to accomplish things efficiently," Reeves said. For example, he cited the cooperation between the UN and the Anglican Church in the Province of Uganda. "The United Nations contributed substantially to the church's AIDS education effort because it saw the church had an ability to deliver a service."
Yet, in his role as an Anglican observer of the United Nations, Reeves insisted that his ministry extended beyond the institutional walls of the church. He spent a great deal of effort during the past three years increasing awareness of the environmental crisis. And, perhaps most of all, Reeves is credited with advancing the cause of indigenous peoples around the world.
"Are we committed to the Anglicans who live all over the world?" he asked. "Yes, but I believe we are committed to even more than that. I think what we are really committed to is a global perspective. We take the globe seriously because we encircle the globe.
"The challenge for the church and other faith traditions is to make peace with each other," Reeves added. "Until the great faith traditions of the world make peace with each other, I don't think they've got much of a chance of talking about the peace that should be seen throughout the world."
In addition to the concerns of the entire world, Reeves spent a great deal of the past three years as an assisting bishop in the Diocese of New York. During that time he lived in an apartment located on the campus of the General Theological Seminary and visited 20 parishes each year. What did that experience teach him?
"If I was a young priest again and was faced with the possibility of working either in England or in the United States, I'd choose the States," Reeves said. "The Episcopal Church is a lively church and if it goes down, it'll go down fighting," he added with a chuckle.
Yet, Reeves suggested that Episcopalians might be more patient and gentle with each other in the face of controversies such as sexuality. "We've got to ask ourselves whether there is some basic unity that lies underneath our apparent disagreements. Are we able to claim fellowship with each other in spite or beyond these things that we've battled so much about?" he asked.
He also warned against a kind of insularity that he believes has begun to infect the Episcopal Church. "It is like the United Nations isn't it? As the world is retreating from the new world order and the global perspective, so some parishes are retreating from a national vision of the Episcopal Church," he said. "That is very sad in some ways. I find that some clergy are too much rugged individualists."
Reeves said that he was "extremely impressed by the way in which the Episcopal Church takes the liturgy seriously." And he noted that many people "chose to become Episcopalians because of the liturgy."
On the day of the interview, Reeves received a Christmas gift from a New Zealand reporter stationed at the United Nations. It was a black and white photograph of a scene in a poor Brooklyn alley. In the photo, Scripture verses and religious symbols competed for attention with advertising slogans and graffiti on the walls of a vacant building. The snapshot encompassing the cares of the world and the voice of God seemed to fit very well in the world of Paul Reeves.
Reeves has returned to his native New Zealand where he will become the dean of a Maori theological college. Along with two staff members, he will help educate theological students in a nontraditional program -- much of it off-campus in the local setting of each student. As he describes his new role, Reeves is animated about the future, even as he moves from the fast pace of the world stage onto a decidedly more local one.
"I don't see myself as leaving the international scene," Reeves said. "Rather, I am putting myself in another place in the international context.
"I will continue some of my international contacts -- in particular the South African situation -- and I know that I will be approached for some community and national activities inside of New Zealand itself," Reeves reported. "And of course I will continue to work with an indigenous network that stretches across the face of the globe."
Reeves said that he approaches his new opportunity with the same sense of wonder and gusto as his former positions. Although he claimed that he is not as committed to the institutional structures of the church as in former days, "I am a person of the church," he said. "And no matter what the job or where the venue, my mission is always the same."
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