COUNCIL OF ANGLICAN PROVINCES IN AFRICA ”“ CAPA
COUNSEIL DES PROVINCES ANGLICANES D’AFRIQUE
A Statement from the Most Rev’d Ian Ernest,
Bishop of Mauritius, Archbishop of the Indian Ocean,
Chairman of CAPA
5th October 2007
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I write to you as the newly elected Chairman of CAPA with profound gratitude for the trust shown in me by my brother and sister delegates and also with the sure conviction that I can only serve in this role with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the mercy of God our Heavenly Father and the power of the Holy Spirit.
We have just completed the CAPA Council Meeting for 2007 with the theme “CALLED TO A LIFE OF FAITHFULNESS” and this, I believe, will be an appropriate theme for my service among you. I do not bring long years of experience nor the resources of a large Province but what I do bring is a confidence in Jesus Christ who has been my Lord, Savior and Friend since childhood. My family members have all been faithful Anglicans for generations and we know what it is to live by His grace and have seen His hand at work in our lives.
I also bring the experience of living in Mauritius, a multi-cultural and multi-religious society that is an example to the world as we live together with a sense of mutual respect and acceptance. I have also seen God’s hand at work in the Province of the Indian Ocean as we have confronted enormous challenges both environmental and cultural and yet continue to grow in numbers and faithfulness. My hope is that I will be able to bring this experience to the challenges that confront the various provinces of beloved Communion at this time.
I take the work of reconciliation very seriously and believe that reconciling people to God and to one another is our apostolic call; but the unity that we seek must never be at the expense of the truth of the Holy Scriptures that is the bedrock of our faith. I also know that nothing can be accomplished that is not rooted in prayer and so I call on all believers to pray for the people, clergy and bishops of the Provinces of CAPA, the work to which we have all been called and the leadership of the Anglican Communion.
Be assured of my prayers and commitment, by the grace of God, to live a life of faithfulness among you.
With every blessing,
+Ian Mauritius
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy ”” to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 1:24,25)
I think it is interesting that they went with the Primate of one of the more centrist provinces on the continent (along the spectrum from Southern Africa to Rwanda). He seems to be one who will try to lead by persuasion, rather than by command like some former CAPA leaders.
Yes, interesting that the Province of Mauritius has a partnership with the Diocese of Connecticut, and that +Andrew Smith was welcome to attend +Ernest’s installation as Primate in February 2006, who then paid a return visit to Connecticut, meeting +Smith.