Global South Will Propose Two-Province Solution

From The Living Church on-line edition
http://www.livingchurch.org/publishertlc/printarticle.asp?ID=3071
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Anglican primates of The Global South will propose a two-province solution to the divisions of doctrine and discipline confronting The Episcopal Church at this week's primates' meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Gathered at a hotel next door to the official venue of the primates' meeting, members of the Global South coalition of primates met with U.S. and Canadian traditionalist leaders Feb. 11-12 to discuss plans for a possible future shape of the Anglican Communion. A second meeting of primates of the CAPA (Conference of Anglican Provinces of Africa) was planned for today, and the primates' meeting itself begins Wednesday.

The Global South bloc at the primates' meeting will ask their follow primates to give approval to plans outlined in the Kigali Communique published last September and developed in a paper titled "The Road to Lambeth" that establishes a separate Anglican jurisdiction in the United States in communion with the See of Canterbury. This jurisdiction would gather "Windsor-loyal" Episcopalians, parishes, dioceses, clergy and bishops into a second church.

In addition to current members of The Episcopal Church, the new province would include the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA) and the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), and would be open to reunion with the Continuing Anglican churches in the United States.

The ecclesiastical structure of the proposed province would be governed by a college of bishops. From among their ranks, the college would nominate three candidates to be presiding bishop, one of whom would be selected as primate of the province by the primates' meeting. This second American Presiding Bishop would have voice and vote at future primates' meetings under the proposals worked out by the Global South coalition and their allies, sources close to the coalition told a reporter.

The two-province solution is seen as an interim measure until such time as an Anglican Covenant can be formulated and adopted that would define who is, and who is not, an Anglican, sources noted, adding these plans had been presented to Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams in advance of this week's gathering.

The specific details of the two-province plan are unknown as the Global South primates have declined to comment publicly.

The Rev. Canon Charlie Masters, national director of Anglican Essentials, a Canadian church traditionalist group, told TLC he and three other Canadian church leaders had been invited to brief the Global South primates on the issues facing the Canadian church. It was important that the problems facing the Canadian church not be overlooked by the primates, Canon Masters noted.

The president of the American Anglican Council, the Rev Canon David Anderson, said it was impossible to predict the outcome of the meeting at this stage. However, the seven primates who spoke with TLC Monday appeared confident of the prospect of having their plan gain the consensus of the meeting.

Along with Canon Masters and Canon Anderson, the Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns, Bishop of CANA, the Rev. Canon Bill Atwood of the Ekklesia Society, the Rev. Canon Chris Sugden of the British-based Anglican Mainstream, Mrs. Cheryl Chang, the Rev David Short, and the Rev. Stephen Leung of the Anglican Network in Canada served as advisors to the Global South primates.

Writing to his diocese before his departure to Dar-es-Salaam to take part in the Feb. 14 briefing of the primates' meeting requested by Archbishop Williams, the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, Bishop of Pittsburgh and moderator of the Anglican Communion Network, cautioned against viewing the meeting in partisan political terms, and made a call to prayer."I ask your prayers for all who will be present, as well as those who support them around the world," Bishop Duncan wrote. "Whatever side we claim in our current controversies, we are all united in our deep need to hear and understand what God would have us say and do during these times."
(The Rev.) George Conger