Episcopal Church members currently serving on the Anglican-Orthodox Theological Dialogue are the Rev. Thomas Ferguson, the Episcopal Church’s interim deputy for ecumenical and interreligious relations, and Assistant Bishop William Gregg of North Carolina.
Other members that may be asked to resign their membership are the Rev. Canon Philip Hobson and Natasha Klukach from the Anglican Church of Canada and the Rev. Joseph Wandera from the Anglican Church of Kenya. Some dioceses in the Canadian church have made provisions for blessing same-gender unions and the Kenyan church has consecrated former Episcopalians as bishops in the U.S., an action that is in contravention of the moratorium on cross-border interventions.
Williams recommends that affected members serving on the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order should revert to consultant status. The Rev. Katherine Grieb, an Episcopal priest and professor of New Testament at Virginia Theological Seminary, serves on that commission. Other members who are likely to be affected by Williams’ suggestion are the Venerable Dapo Asaju of Nigeria, the Rev. Edison Muhindo Kalengyo of Uganda and Bishop Tito Zavala of Chile, Southern Cone, all of whom hail from provinces that are currently involved in cross-border interventions in the United States.
The third phase of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission is unaffected by Williams’ suggestion as its members have yet to be named.
ENS is mistaken. Or . . . not mistaken, merely spinning.
Kenya and Uganda have returned oversight to ACNA itself and are engaging in no cross-border interventions.
Nigeria is in the process of returning oversight, but that is not completed. Rwanda has no intention of returning oversight.
The lovely difference between the Global South provinces and TEC is that the former’s actions have always been noted as temporary and emergency, to be withdrawn as appropriate. And that has been born out over time.
The progressive activists in TEC have always proclaimed their actions as permanent and intrinsic to their gospel, not to be withdrawn at all, ever. And of course, that also has been born out over time.
I think it’s going to be mighty hard to maintain a posture of not allowing GS participation when they are not engaging in cross-border interventions, while also not allowing TEC participation as they continue onward violating the moratoria.
I have repeatedly said on this and other blogs that [b]NONE[/b] of what we reasserters have felt it necessary to do since GC 2003 [b]would have ever been done[/b] if TEC and the ACofC had not chosen to depart from the historic faith and practice of the Church Catholic. It is [b]they and they alone[/b] who are entirely responsible for the mess in which the Anglican Communion now finds itself.
Besides the factors that Sarah cites in her #1, this ENS story also overlooks the significant fact that the director of the IASCUFO is a Canadian priest, Canon Alyson Barnett-Cowan and she should certainly be dismissed from her position since the ACoC is flagrantly in violation of the moratorium on SSB’s (much less SSM’s).
But I think it’s telling that ENS can accept this slap on the wrist pretty calmly, because it’s really no big deal if TEC is banished or relegated to “observer” or “consultant” status on a couple international committees of little significance. Now if it were to be excluded from the Instruments of Communion/Unity and from the “Standing Committee of the AC” that plays such an important role in the proposed Anglican Covenant, that would be far more serious. That’s theoretically possible, but rather unlikely, I’m afraid, because ++RW and the ACO and other beseiged colonialist powers in the current AC structures will do all they can to thrwart that outcome.
David Handy+
David,
Please could you amplify what you mean by “colonialist powers”? It’s a phrase burdened by historical baggage which, in this context, seems misdirected. If you meant “leadership”, as is Canterbury’s role here, then that would make more sense.