(Church of Uganda News)<\/p>\n
On the first day of the ACC-14 meeting, the Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council made an unconstitutional decision to refuse to seat the clergy delegate from the Church of Uganda. The Church of Uganda is entitled to three delegates \u201d\u201c a Bishop, priest, and lay person.<\/p>\n
In an e-mail dated 24th April, Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon, Secretary General of the Anglican Consultative Council, wrote the Most Rev. Henry Luke Orombi, Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, saying, \u201cI\u2019m grateful for the nomination of Rev. Philip Ashey as ACC Delegate\u201d\u00a6and I look forward to welcoming him to ACC.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Rev. Philip Ashey is a priest of Ruwenzori Diocese in the Church of Uganda, living and working in Atlanta, USA.
During the first press briefing, Venerable Paul Feheley, the ACC\u2019s Spokesperson, stated that each province appoints its own delegates to the ACC, as written in the constitution of the ACC.<\/p>\n
In a surprising move, the Joint Standing Committee, meeting on 1st May, exceeded the limits of their authority, reversed Canon Kearon\u2019s decision of 24th April, and determined that Rev. Ashey was not \u201cqualified\u201d\u009d to serve as a delegate, citing section 4(e) of the Constitution of the ACC. Their reason? Rev. Ashey is an American who was received into the Church of Uganda in 2005.<\/p>\n
In a 2nd May letter appealing to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Archbishop Orombi wrote,<\/p>\n
\u201cThe appointment of delegates to the ACC from a Province is purely an internal matter and is not subject to review by any body within the ACC, including the Joint Standing Committee. That the Joint Standing Committee would assume such authority is a gross violation of our constitutional relationships, not to mention a further tearing of our bonds of affection. Our reasons for appointing one of our American priests to represent us as our clergy delegate are our reasons, and are not for the Joint Standing Committee to question. Section 4(e) does not give the Joint Standing Committee or the ACC the right to interfere in the appointing body\u2019s determination of the \u201cqualification\u201d\u009d of a delegate. For the Joint Standing Committee to assume this power is nothing short of an imperialistic and colonial decision that violates the integrity of the Church of Uganda.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
When asked why he didn\u2019t send a Ugandan priest to represent the Church of Uganda, Archbishop Orombi replied, \u201cWe had a last minute vacancy for our clergy delegate and couldn\u2019t organize travel and visas for one of our Ugandan clergy to go. When we learned that our priest, Rev. Philip Ashey could go to Jamaica, we asked him to represent us.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Orombi continued, \u201cThe appointment of Rev. Philip Ashey to fill a vacancy at the last minute provides the Church of Uganda with a strong voice of a priest in good standing in the Diocese of Ruwenzori. It is also a voice for the almost 100,000 orthodox Anglicans in North America who have been persecuted by TEC and the Anglican Church of Canada, who will not be represented by their delegations to ACC-14, and who will not otherwise have voice or seat at the table of the ACC. It is important for the Communion to be reminded that there is a serious tear in the fabric of our communion; all is not well and there continues to be an urgent need to address the ongoing crisis before us.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
When asked why he was not present for the meeting, Archbishop Orombi said, \u201cI am speaking at the New Wine conference in the north of England at the same time the ACC is meeting. This speaking engagement has been in my diary for a long time. It was an unavoidable conflict. I regret that my alternate to the Primates Standing Committee, Archbishop Justice Akrofi of West Africa, was also not able to attend.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
The Church of Uganda\u2019s Bishop delegate was not able to attend the meeting because of a conflict with a previously scheduled trip to the UK.<\/p>\n
The Church of Uganda will be represented only by its lay delegate, who protested the decision of the Joint Standing Committee to refuse to seat Uganda\u2019s clergy delegate. Her protest was, nonetheless, overridden by other interests on the Joint Standing Committee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(Church of Uganda News) On the first day of the ACC-14 meeting, the Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council made an unconstitutional decision to refuse to seat the clergy delegate from the Church of Uganda. The Church of…<\/span><\/p>\n