The Archbishop Nicholas Okoh, the Primate of Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), says the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), is no longer under the jurisdiction of Nigeria….
“We are not interested in territorial ambition; our main reason for going to America was to provide for those who were no longer finding it possible to worship in the Episcopal church.
“A new structure has been put up in the U.S. which is ACNA.
“CANA now belongs to ACNA even though they still relate to us;but essentially it now belongs to Anglican province of North America,” he said.
Good for Abp Okoh. Abp Orombi ceded his US parishes earlier. Would that Rwanda would do so as well.
I think that will eventually happen.
@Evan Miller:
You make it sound like the AMiA congregations are being held against their will in Rwanda. Let’s say somebody snapped their fingers and AMiA was suddenly part of ACNA. A bunch of people within AMiA would likely have problems with people who have now become a part of the same household (against their will, perhaps). Is that better than remaining a part for now, acknowledging that there are still things that need to be resolved? Why pretend it’s all been worked out? Is serious internal division really a much better place to be than the “mission partner” status AMiA enjoys with ACNA right now? I fear that if the two become united too quickly, the motivation to work out what are real theological differences (for some) may be completely lost and the relational schisms may never be healed.
I think very few people, longterm, want there to be two parallel jurisdictions. But it took well over a hundred years for the English Reformation to get sorted out — why are we all in such a rush? And let’s not forget that despite major irregularities, AMiA parishes are under the authority of a Province that can legitimately claim to be a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, with representation among the Instruments of Unity. For whatever that’s worth to them.
samh
I agree that there some serious differences between AMIA and others in ACNA, and we would certainly in many cases be uneasy bedfellows, but as I understand it, there is no long term intent on the part of Rwanda or AMIA’s US leadership to ever fade away as a seperate entity.
Hmmm… some confusion is out and about. A friend just forwarded an email from a CANA Canon, which said in part,
“Earlier this morning Bishop Minns heard from both Archbishop Nicholas Okoh and Registrar Abraham Yisa who were surprised to see a recent statement in the media that suggests that CANA is no longer part of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion). Both Archbishop Okoh as well as Registrar Yisa told Bishop Minns that such reports are erroneous. They assured him that there has been no change in the status that exists between CANA and the Church of Nigeria, that Bishop Minns and CANA’s suffragan bishops continue to serve as members of the House of Bishops in the Church of Nigeria, and that the Church of Nigeria at the same time continues to promote the full recognition of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) as a province in the Anglican Communion.
Information regarding the relationship that exists between CANA, the Church of Nigeria, and the ACNA can be found on the CANA website:
http://www.CANAconvocation.org/FAQs“
Well, that’s certainly confusing.
It will take some time for all the rest of the communion to recognize that the ACNA and not TEC/ACOC is the expression of traditional Anglicanism in North America. Until that time it makes good sense for CANA to continue to relate to Nigeria.
I would be inclined to beleive ++Okoh’s statement of matters concerning CANA over that of the Vanguard. This might be just another case of shoddy journalism.