Monday, May 07, 2007

TEC: Schism already?

From Spero News:
Conservative Nigerian archbishop defied Anglican church leaders and installed a Virginian bishop as leader of a diocese that would allow congregations in the US to leave the Episcopal Church.

Before Nigerian Primate Peter Akinolaarrived in the US, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, wrote and asked him to cancel his plans to visit the United States and install Bishop Martyn Minns.

The installation service at a nondenominational Christian event center in Woodbridge, Virginia, was attended by worshippers who have already left the Episcopal Church as well as bishops from Canada, England, the US, Nigeria, and Uganda.

The event is part of the ongoing battle over sexuality, authority and the interpretation of Scripture in the 77 million Anglican Communion.

"Many people have noted that such an action would exacerbate a situation that is already tense," Rosenthal said, "especially as we look forward to the 30 September deadline outlined by the Primates at their meeting in Tanzania and the Archbishop of Canterbury's planned visit to the House of Bishops."
Ut unum sint indeed!

2 comments:

assiniboine said...

You are supposed to be off on the reef investigating the coral.

The rather alarming thing to me about old Jasper Akinola is that I suspect I could very readily speak his language, as very few western Anglicans probably could.

assiniboine said...

One wonders if it is precisely schism though. Old Jasper proposes that he is actually offering a means for traditionalist Anglicans in the USA to remain inside the Anglican Communion and while it is difficult to avoid thinking him somewhat mischievous, the fact is that in India, for example, there are three Anglican churches all inside the Communion. Maybe, just maybe, the old rascal isn't entirely a bad thing after all.