Received by email and now online 30th January 2014
Archbishop Stanley Ntagali Comments on Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill, the Church of England’s “Pilling Report,” and the Open Letter from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York
The Church of Uganda is encouraged by the work of Uganda’s Parliament in amending the Anti-Homosexuality Bill to remove the death penalty, to reduce sentencing guidelines through a principle of proportionality, and to remove the clause on reporting homosexual behaviour, as we had recommended in our 2010 position statement on the Bill. This frees our clergy and church leaders to fulfill the 2008 resolution of our House of Bishops to “offer counseling, healing and prayer for people with homosexual disorientation, especially in our schools and other institutions of learning. The Church is a safe place for individuals, who are confused about their sexuality or struggling with sexual brokenness, to seek help and healing.”
Accordingly, we are grateful for the reminder of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to fulfill such commitments as stated in the 2005 Communique of the Primates Meeting held in Dromantine, Northern Ireland.
We would further like to remind them, as they lead their own church through the “facilitated conversations” recommended by the Pilling Report, that the teaching of the Anglican Communion from the 1998 Lambeth Conference, from Resolution 1.10, still stands. It states that “homosexual practice is incompatible with Scripture,” and the conference “cannot advise the legitimising or blessing of same sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions.”
It was the Episcopal Church USA (TEC) and the Anglican Church of Canada’s violations of Lambeth 1.10 which caused the Church of Uganda to break communion with those Provinces more than ten years ago. We sincerely hope the Archbishops and governing bodies of the Church of England will step back from the path they have set themselves on so the Church of Uganda will be able to maintain communion with our own Mother Church.
Furthermore, as our new Archbishop of Canterbury looks toward future Primates Meetings and a possible 2018 Lambeth Conference of Bishops, we would also like to remind him of the 2007 Primates Communique from Dar es Salaam, which says that there are:
“consequences for the full participation of the Church in the life of the Communion” for TEC and those Provinces which cannot
1. “Make an unequivocal common covenant that the Bishops will not authorize any Rite of Blessing for same-sex unions in their dioceses or through” their governing body;
2. “Confirm”¦that a candidate for episcopal orders living in a same-sex union shall not receive the necessary consent.”
It is clear that the Episcopal Church in the USA and the Anglican Church of Canada have not upheld these commitments, and so we do pray for the Archbishop of Canterbury as he considers whether or not to extend invitations to their Primates for the next Primates Meeting or to their Bishops for the 2018 Lambeth Conference. To withhold these invitations would be a clear signal of his intention to lead and uphold the fullness of the 1998 Lambeth Resolution 1.10.
The Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali
ARCHBISHOP OF CHURCH OF UGANDA
Wow.
I applaud Archbishop Ntagli for his reminder of what has been agreed to by the bishops but alas the CofE has made it known whom they trust. Alas it is not the africans like Ntagli but those like KJS. I fear his well worded advice/reminder will go unheeded by the bishops in the CofE. How unfortunate.
God bless this Archbishop for this straightforward statement. And may God continue to bless the ministry of the Church in Uganda.
I hope the bishops of the CofE understand that this statement means the end of the Anglican Communion if they go forward in the direction the Pilling Report recommends.
I see that the ACNS has, for the 1056th consecutive time, ignored a statement from a GS archbishop that conflicts with their agenda. Of course, they prominently display the TEC attack on Uganda and Nigeria.
Archbishop Ntagali and Archbishop Wabukala have both issued clear statements on behalf of the majority of Anglicans. Would that the Archbishop of Canterbury and the ACO would demonstrate a minimal amount of respect for that majority.
#4 TJ
He who pays the piper….
Welby continues the failing of his predecessor of making policy on the hoof, consulting nobody, and certainly not the Provinces of the Communion or their Primates. Nobody has given the ‘first among equals’ a mandate to bring in a policy of ‘facilitated conversations’ [apart from the US paymasters], and consequently Welby is finding that no one is owning it, indeed it can be seen with clarity for what it is as things have come into focus this week.
Thank you Archbishop Ntagali and God bless you for your efforts to ameliorate the worst aspects of this law going through the Ugandan Parliament. I very much pray that it will not be signed into law.
I have to say, I almost fell off my chair, reading John Sentamu and Justin Welby quoting the 2005 Dromantine Primates’ Meeting Communique.
That was a blast from the past and had some other provisions:
and
and
Now almost 10 years on we can see how the English Archbishops have respected these resolutions:
1. Rowan Williams went to speak the US HOB and told them there would be no consequences for them in breaching the moratoria.
2. John Sentamu said the same to the ACOC HOB around the same time.
3. Justin Welby assisted Rowan Williams as a Facilitator at the Dublin Primates Meeting in making sure that the Primates would never again be able to issue a communique such as that issued at Dromantine having persuaded the unwitting rump who attended to emasculate the Primates Meeting for the future.
3. Now Justin Welby is the one putting in place ‘facilitated conversations’ in response to a report proposing recognising same sex unions in church in breach of Lambeth 1:10 and it would appear that those who have breached its terms and never recanted their position are again being considered for English bishropics.
The provision Sentamu and Welby quote must be one of the few parts of the Dromantine Communique they and Rowan Williams have not treated with contempt as they breached them.
Pageantmaster-
The irony of Welby drawing on Dromentine would be quite rich if it were not tragic. If in the same statement, he had removed KJS and Douglas from the Standing Committee and told TEC and ACoC to stay home from the next ACC meeting, he might have been onto something. And, of course, had he reminded everyone that Lambeth 1998 1.10 is the doctrinal position of the Anglican Communion, and the CoE.
#7 – It is hard to do all that tj, when taking their money.
This is a great statement, which corrects some of the slurs and innuendo being peddled by certain liberal bloggers.
It seems that the Church of Uganda has remained true to its mission, to preach the gospel. It has respected the law of the land, but also sought to influence the civil government to ameliorate the effect of harsh laws.
++Ntagali makes clear that the Church’s priority remains to provide God’s help and healing to all who seek it.
The ACNS, by failing to post a primate’s response to a current CoE communication, continues to prove itself irrelevant to the majority of the Anglican Communion. The action is worthy of Pravda.
Thank goodness for T1:9, which does publish posts of more than one point of view. T 1:9 is a relevant and important media outlet in the Communion, and Kendall Harmon, by virtue of this ministry over the last eleven or so years, has proven himself the Anglican Bishop of Cyberspace.
How wonderful the crystal clear pastoral thinking on such divisive issues; “This frees our clergy and church leaders to fulfill the 2008 resolution of our House of Bishops to “offer counseling, healing and prayer for people with [b]homosexual disorientation[/b]”
Yes, pastorally call it what it is; Biblically speaking it is a disorientation [oriented in the wrong direction].
Which then sets up the Church to be a place of redemption “The Church is a safe place for individuals, who are [b]confused[/b] about their sexuality or struggling with sexual brokenness, to seek help and healing.”
Yes, the Church is not and should not be a place of condemnation for individuals who are “confused” in this profound brokeness, particularly when false teachers facilitate the brokeness and the secular world celebrates such brokeness.
Good, strong, teaching words!
Bravo, ++Ntagali. Well done.
Thanks especially to PM for his astute comments above.
David Handy+
Axios!
ACNS has now published the responses of primates Ntagali and Schori. Good for them.
I never thought I would have the opportunity to say this, but if Justin Welby makes no other positive contribution, he has clearly influenced the ACNS to present a more balanced picture of Anglicanism. In addition to the statement by ++Ntagali, they have now also published an article on the statement by ++Wabukala.
http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2014/02/second-african-primate-responds-to-letter-on-sexuality.aspx
Although it took them a while to put these articles up, I think it only fair to withdraw my statement in #4. The coverage given these statements is a very hopeful sign. And I hope and pray that this is the beginning of a reformation of the PR arm of the Communion.
Well, there could scarcely have been a weaker response than simply posting the letters, could there?
You are more optimistic than I if you believe this article shows a re-direction of the movement within the C of E.
Luke,
Since Dar Es Salaam, the ACNS has made a point of NOT even posting most Primates letters from the GS- anything not in accord with the TEC agenda did not make print. Likewise, such TEC stories as the election of Mary Glasspool or the deposing of 100s of priests were completely ignored (because they did not want anyone to know about that), while all the coverage went to this or that TEC diocese indaba-ing with some GS church, or western churches buying mosquito nets to send to Africa.
This is the most balanced reporting we have seen in a decade- yes, a long way to go, but moving in the right direction.
As to the CoE, this is the Anglican Communion News Service. It is not an organ of the CoE. I don’t think this implies any change whatsoever in collapse of the CoE, which has apparently decided to jump off the cliff, assuming that the remains of TEC at the bottom will cushion their fall.
Thanks tjmcmahon and Jill Woodliff, good points.
I agree that if ACNS does something positive like publishing these communiques (and they clearly merit publishing, being public responses by provincial leaders to a statement issued by ABC and ABY), then it deserves appropriate recognition.