From Father Francisco Silva at KANTINHO DO REV in Brazil:
"Segunda-feira, Abril 28, 2008
Brazilian Bishops responds to the St Andrews's Draft of the Covenant
During its last meeting in Curitiba, the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil generated an official response to the Anglican Covenant - St. Andrew's Draft. Such draft was sent to all Anglican Communion provinces, so they would examine it and send suggestions to it.
After a consultation process leaded by the Primatial Advisor group, a letter was presented before the Bishop's House and discussed and unanimously agreed.
Bellow you can read the full text. The original letter also could be found at www.ieab.org.br in the documents section.":
LIFE IN COMMUNION AND THE COMMUNION OF LIFE
At our meeting of the House of Bishops , we, the bishops of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil, , wish to say that we are following with great interest the work of the Commission, which is proposing to the Anglican Communion a Covenant whose objective would be to help overcome the current tensions within the church.
We appreciate the effort and sincere concern of this group and we recognize how their work has brought about important reflections on our nature as communion.
However, although acknowledging that commendable effort, we believe that our Communion does not need new instruments of consensus beyond those that historically have been our benchmarks in terms of identity.
We have diligently studied the second draft of the Covenant, known as the St Andrew’s Draft, and despite some new insights shown from the first reactions to the proposal coming from various parts of the Communion, according to our view, the proposition is still problematic.
Sections 05 and 06 in the new proposal focus on elements that we believe are unnecessary and inapplicable to our Communion. In the manner in which they are presented, they constitute a serious setback in the understanding of what is Communion, prioritising the juridical dimension more and less so the ecclesiological and affective dimensions that have been the historical mark of our mutual interdependence.
The Covenant continues to be a mistaken proposal for the resolution of conflicts through the creation of curial instances absolutely alien to our ethos.
We are fully convinced that the time in which we live is marked by symptoms that value highly the building up of networks and other manifestations of communion in a spontaneous way in the various aspects of human life. Insisting on a formal and juridical Covenant, with the logic of discipline and exercise of power, means to move in the opposite direction, thus returning to the days of Modernity, with its Confessions, Covenants, Diets and other rational instruments of theological consensus.
The nature of the Anglican Communion already has sufficient elements that both characterize and nurture it. This is the richness of our cultural and hermeneutical diversity that always creates the challenge of positive tension for us, which experienced in the exercise of dispersed and shared authority. We can not, however, allow it to be replaced by a legal, circumstantial instrument of political control.
Communion is never created and developed by the letter. The true communion is nurtured by the Spirit. The true communion is life. The paschal mystery that we live in this liturgical season is an unmistakable demonstration of what we need to re-affirm. Faith in the Risen Christ does not presuppose text, but rather an open heart and a humble faith. It was the event of the Resurrection and the affective perception of it that generated a Community, a Communion.
Thus, inspired by this liturgical season and aware of the richness of our Communion, we manifest the conviction that the Covenant is not an essential element to maintain or strengthen our Communion; on the contrary, it risks defacing it. Our history and the instruments we have are already sufficient to build unity from the richness of our diversity, in a continuous process of listening and mutual respect.
Curitiba, 04 April 2008.
The Most Revd. Maurício Andrade, Primate and Brasília
The Rt. Revd Almir dos Santos, Oeste
The Rt. Revd. Pereira Neves, Santa Maria-RS
The Rt.Revd. Orlando Santos de Oliveira, Porto Alegre, RS
The Rt. Revd. Celso Franco, Rio de Janeiro, RJ
The Rt. Revd. Naudal Alves Gomes, Curitiba, PR
The Rt. Revd. Sebastião Armando Gameleira Soares, Recife, PE
The Rt. Revd. Filadelfo de Oliveira Neto, Recife, PE
The Rt. Revd. Saulo Maurício de Barros, Belém, PA
The Rt. Revd. Renato da Cruz Raatz, Pelotas, RS
The Rt. Revd. Roger Bird-São Paulo, SP
The Rt. Revd. Clovis Erly Rodrigues, House of Bishop
The Rt. Revd. Luiz Osório Pires Prado, House of Bishop
The Rt. Revd. Glauco Soares de Lima, House of Bishop
Amen, and amen, and amen!
The emphases in bold type are my choices of words that especially resonated with me in a positive way from what I consider an excellent response to the covenant draft for the Anglican Communion.
Thanks to Paul at Byzigenous Buddhapalian for the logo and permission to use it.
Mimi,
ReplyDeleteCommunion is never created and developed by the letter. The true communion is nurtured by the Spirit. The true communion is life. The paschal mystery that we live in this liturgical season is an unmistakable demonstration of what we need to re-affirm. Faith in the Risen Christ does not presuppose text, but rather an open heart and a humble faith. It was the event of the Resurrection and the affective perception of it that generated a Community, a Communion.
That spoke with special power to me. I've just taken a look at the best recent work on my Matron Saint, Mary Magdalene, by Jane Schaberg, and her role in the church's creation.
In Memory of Her.
And such bishops!
Bless you and Paul for sharing this wonderful statement.
Johnieb, what the bishops wrote has been my thinking all along, but I could never have expressed myself with such eloquence.
ReplyDeleteIn memory of Mary Magdalene and of Mary, the mother of Jesus! She was no shrinking violet, either. Oh, those Marys!
Mimi,
ReplyDeleteI thought this might interest you. Someone else was there....sorry you will have to copy and paste.
http://bishopmarc.vox.com/library/post/earth-day-and-wooden-rings.html
Susan, thank you so much for the link. The ring is a tucum ring. I have one! Dear, dear Luiz sent me one.
ReplyDeleteWhere can we get some bishops like that? You know, with brain cells.
ReplyDeleteLindy, wouldn't it be loverly? Loverly. Loverly.
ReplyDeleteSusan, here's the HTML link to Bishop Marc's post on the rings. Click on "Earth Day and Wooden Rings".
I love the idea of the rings, but I love the idea that Bishop Marc was there! And that we are in sisterhood with that lovely bunch of Brasilians
ReplyDeleteI would like to express our gratitude for the magnificent reception on the Brazilian response to the St Andrews Draft.
ReplyDeleteIn a midst of many rational and political conflicts within the Communion is so comfortable hear some heartful readings and agreements in the Spirit beyond letters.
God bless us all!
Fr. Xico! Thanks for visiting. I was pleased to post the letter. The words are eloquent and so very true.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you and your ministry.
Someone else liked it, too. My blog friend, Rmj, posted an excerpt from it at his site, Adventus.
Mimi, ma chère grandmère!
ReplyDeleteMerci beaucoup pour avoir publié ce magnifique article.
Bisoux
(le bilingualisme, c'est sexy)
O, and I had to say that some days ago I had vegetarian jambalaya (yea, vegetarian, but was goood) and I thought: "I wonder what the news are in Mimi-land".
ReplyDeleteI bet it's hot. Here it was awfully hot in the afternoon.
Luiz, de rien. It's a fine statement. I'm proud to be in the same church with the bishops of Brazil.
ReplyDelete(le bilingualisme, c'est sexy)
Oui, mon cher Luiz. Sexy!
As-tu vu le photo de Paul et moi?
Il ne fait pas trop chaud ici. Il y a du printemps dans l'air.
I'm sure that vegetarian jambalaya can be quite good.
It's great to hear from you, love.