The Communiqu\u00c3\u00a9
\nCAPA Primates\u2019 Meeting in Mauritius
\n5th October 2007<\/p>\n
We, the Primates of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) meeting 3rd to 5th October in Mauritius, Province of the Indian Ocean, issue this Communiqu\u00c3\u00a9 from our meeting:<\/p>\n
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our one and only Saviour.<\/p>\n
1.\tWe have been greatly encouraged by our time together with the CAPA Council that has just completed its General Meeting. A separate Communiqu\u00c3\u00a9 has been issued from these proceedings and we give thanks to God for the dedication of each of the delegates and the many signs of God\u2019s blessing throughout our various provinces.<\/p>\n
2.\tAt the conclusion of that meeting we conducted elections for the CAPA leadership team and are pleased to announce that the Most Rev\u2019d Ian Ernest, Bishop of Mauritius and Archbishop of the Province of the Indian Ocean was elected to serve as Chairman with the Most Rev\u2019d Emmanuel Kolini, Bishop of the Diocese of Kigali and Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of Rwanda, elected to serve as Vice-Chairman. We are grateful for their courageous leadership and look forward to the work of CAPA going from strength to strength.<\/p>\n
3.\tWe are, however, aware that we live and serve within the context of the wider Anglican Communion and acknowledge that we are profoundly concerned by the current impasse that confronts us. We have spent the last ten years in a series of meetings, issuing numerous communiqu\u00c3\u00a9s, setting deadlines and yet we have made little progress. As was clearly articulated by our brother bishop, the Most Rev\u2019d Mouneer Anis, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal\/Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East when he addressed the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church (TEC), \u201cwe want unity but not unity at any expense.\u201d\u009d We have observed that his call for clarity in response to the Dar es Salaam recommendations and his appeal to them to turn back from their current path or acknowledge that TEC has chosen to walk a different way from the rest of the Anglican Communion was ignored. We believe, therefore, that a change of direction from our current trajectory is urgently needed.<\/p>\n
4.\tWhile meeting in Mauritius we received a copy of the report of the Joint Standing Committee (JSC) of the Primates and the Anglican Consultative Council. On first reading we find it to be unsatisfactory. The assurances made are without credibility and its preparation is severely compromised by numerous conflicts of interest. The report itself appears to be a determined effort to find a way for the full inclusion of The Episcopal Church with no attempt at discipline or change from their prior position.<\/p>\n
5.\tWe are convinced that what is at stake in this crisis is the very nature of Anglicanism \u201d\u201c to understand it simply in terms of the need for greater inclusivity in the face of changing sexual ethics is a grave mistake. It is not just about sexuality but also about the nature of Christ, the truth of the Gospel and the authority of the Bible. We see a trend that seems to ignore the careful balance of reformed catholicity and missionary endeavor that is our true heritage and replace it with a religion of cultural conformity that offers no transforming power and no eternal hope.<\/p>\n
6.\tIn our considered opinion, however, there is a possible way forward. The Anglican Communion Covenant is the one way for us to uphold our common heritage of faith while at the same time holding each one of us accountable to those teachings that have defined our life together and also guide us into the future. We therefore propose the following actions:<\/p>\n
a.\tCall a special session of the Primates Meeting. We believe that meeting together is essential if we are prayerfully to allow the Holy Spirit to work through our interactions and bring us to a common mind. We would need to:
\ni.\tReview the actual response made by The Episcopal Church \u201d\u201c both their words and their actions.
\nii.\tFinalize the Covenant proposal and set a timetable for ratification by individual provinces.<\/p>\n
b.\tPostpone current plans for the Lambeth Conference. We recognize that such an action will be costly, however, we believe that the alternative \u201d\u201c a divided conference with several provinces unable to participate and hundreds of bishops absent would be much more costly to our life and witness. It would bring an end to the Communion, as we know it. Postponement will accomplish the following:
\ni.\tAllow the current tensions to subside and leave room for the hard work of reconciliation that must be done.
\nii.\tEnsure that those invited to the Lambeth Conference have already endorsed the Covenant and so can come together as witness to our common faith.<\/p>\n
7.\tWe make these proposals in good faith believing that they provide an opportunity for us to reunite the Communion consistent with our common heritage and give us a way forward. We also stand ready to work with the various instruments of the Communion to ensure their success.<\/p>\n
8.\tWe are very much aware of the plight of faithful Anglicans in North America during these difficult times. We assure them of our prayers, support and full recognition until the underlying concerns are fully resolved.<\/p>\n
9.\tWhile these current difficulties are challenging for all concerned we do not lose heart because we know that the One we serve is faithful. During our time together we have heard numerous testimonies of God\u2019s faithfulness in the face of enormous difficulties and we are confident that we will find a way forward that will bring honour to His Name.<\/p>\n
10.\tWe recognize the fellowship and participation of the following Archbishops who have announced their retirement: the Most Rev\u2019d Bernard Malango, The Church of the Province of Central Africa, the Most Rev\u2019d Most Rev’d Njongonkulu Ndungane, Anglican Church of Southern Africa, the Most Rev\u2019d Donald Mtetemela, Anglican Church of Tanzania. We also give thanks to God for the dedicated leadership of our outgoing chairman, the Most Rev\u2019d Peter J. Akinola, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion).<\/p>\n
11.\tFinally, we acknowledge with grateful thanksgiving the hospitality of the Most Rev\u2019d Ian Ernest and the opportunity to pay courtesy calls on the President of the Republic of Mauritius, Sir Aneerood Jugnauth, and the Prime Minister, the Honourable Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam.<\/p>\n
To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy \u201d\u201d to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Communiqu\u00c3\u00a9 CAPA Primates\u2019 Meeting in Mauritius 5th October 2007 We, the Primates of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) meeting 3rd to 5th October in Mauritius, Province of the Indian Ocean, issue this Communiqu\u00c3\u00a9 from our meeting:…<\/span><\/p>\n