CANTUAR AND AKINOLA AT THE GLOBAL SOUTH GATHERING

From the website of the Anglican Communion: The video and text of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams' address to the Global South Gathering. Below is a brief excerpt:

But of course we are reflecting on the need for a covenant in the light of confusion, brokenness and tension within our Anglican family – a brokenness and a tension that has been made still more acute by recent decisions in some of our Provinces. In all your minds there will be questions around the election and consecration of Mary Glasspool in Los Angeles. All of us share the concern that in this decision and action the Episcopal Church has deepened the divide between itself and the rest of the Anglican family. And as I speak to you now, I am in discussion with a number of people around the world about what consequences might follow from that decision, and how we express the sense that most Anglicans will want to express, that this decision cannot speak for our common mind.

But I hope also in your thinking about this and in your reacting to it, you’ll bear in mind that there are no quick solutions for the wounds of the Body of Christ. It is the work of the Spirit that heals the Body of Christ, not the plans or the statements of any group, or any person, or any instrument of communion. Naturally we seek to minimize the damage, to heal the hurts, to strengthen our mission, to make sure that it goes forward with integrity and conviction. Naturally, there are decisions that have to be taken. But at the same time we must all - as indeed your own covering notes suggest for your conference - we must all share in a sense of repentance and willingness to be renewed by the Spirit.

So while the tensions and the crises of our Anglican Communion will of course be in your minds as they are in mine, I know from what you have written, what you have communicated about your plans and hopes for this conference, that you will allow the Holy Spirit to lift your eyes to that broader horizon of God’s purpose for us as Anglicans, for us as Christians, and indeed for us as human beings. (My emphasis)

The former mantra to which we became accustomed as the reason given for division in the Anglican Communion was the election and ordination of Gene Robinson, "the practicing homosexual", as a bishop in the Episcopal Church. The mantra du jour is the election and coming consecration of Mary Glasspool, "the practicing homosexual", as a bishop. The archbishop does not speak the words, but they lie there, unspoken. Tedious, yes?

All the minds of those attending the Global South Gathering may have "questions around the election and consecration of Mary Glasspool", but the minds of many of the rest of us are, indeed, not questioning Mary Glasspool's election and consecration simply on the basis that she shares her life with her beloved partner of 20 years. We rejoice, even as we pray for them as we remain aware of the spotlight and scrutiny which will be focused on Mary and Becki.

Archbishop Williams, I remind you that your words "cannot speak for our common mind", either. I'd also ask if the election and coming ordination of Mary Glasspool is the wound in the Body of Christ to which you refer?

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From Archbishop Peter Akinola's sermon at the opening service of the Global South Gathering:

More importantly, has the real problem that tore the fabric of the Communion been addressed? Can the Covenant address the problem? As we are gathered here today, there are those who are in what they call 'impaired communion' and others in what is called 'broken sacramental communion' with The Episcopal Church in North America and the Anglican Church of Canada. All calls for accountability and repentance have not been heeded. Decisions taken by the Primates to resolve the problem at their meetings in Brazil, Dromantine and Dar es Salam have been jettisoned. Consequently, the Communion has not been able to mend the ‘broken net’.

This, sadly, is the eighth year since we have not all been in communion with one another, globally, in the same Anglican Church. It appears that some of our leaders value the ageing structures of the communion much more than anything else, hence, the illusion that with more meetings, organisations and networks the crises will disappear. How wrong.

We all know that signing the covenant will not stop TEC from pursuing its own agenda. In fact only recently, it elected and confirmed another openly practicing lesbian priest to the episcopate. The Communion is still unable to exercise discipline. We are God's Covenant to the world, yes, but we are divided. We lack discipline. We lack the courage to call ‘a spade a spade’. Our obedience to God is selective. (My emphasis)

In his final paragraph, Abp. Akinola says that he calls "a spade a spade", but he can't quite bring himself to name Mary Glasspool, except to label her as an "openly practicing lesbian priest". She who is not to be named?

Abp. Akinola speaks stronger words than Abp. Williams in calling for "discipline" rather than "consequences", but perhaps, in the end, the two mean the same thing.

Abp. Akinola:

All calls for accountability and repentance have not been heeded.

Right, Archbisop Akinola, however, I expect we speak of different actions and words for which repentance and accountability would be appropriate.


Abp. Akinola:

Our obedience to God is selective.

Right again, Archbisop Akinola, however, I expect we disagree on which actions and words are disobedient to God.


UPDATE: Pluralist has the transcript of the Archbishop of Anglicanism's real video.