Global South Primates Call for Postponement of Lambeth

http://tinyurl.com/38kq7p
November 7, 2007

1. The visit of the Global South Primates to the People's Republic of China has given us an opportunity to meet and reflect on the present situation facing the Anglican Communion and what we have to do to move forward while remaining grounded in the Word of God and preserving its catholicity and apostolicity.

2. We are saddened that all the decisions and recommendations made at the several meetings of the Primates since 2003 and the Windsor Report have not been duly respected. In view of the current crisis, it is imperative to call for faithfulness to the Word and the tradition we have received, and move to build up a momentum for the transformation of our common life. We see the crisis as a call to an Anglican renewal of faith as part of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church, and to move forward in mission and evangelism within the wider church and the world.

3. Since the colonial past, no consolidation of the essence of communion has been made on the part of the Mother Church and of the churches in the West. What is at stake is the very nature of Anglicanism - not just about sexuality but also about the nature of Christ, the truth of the Gospel and the authority of the Bible. We reject the religion of accommodation and cultural conformity that offers neither transforming power nor eternal hope.

4. There is today an urge to reject subservience and call for mutual responsibility. The Instruments of Communion should be given the needed attention so that they can really enable mutual respect and faithfulness to what holds us together - the faith once delivered to the saints. Our call is to work towards the equipping of God's people so that we can be a faithful people of God and for God.

5. We are experiencing a sense of belonging in the spirit of communion in the Global South. This strengthens the structures that facilitate cooperation, conversation and accountability.

6. It is clear to us that the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church (TEC) has not given an unequivocal response to the requests of the Primates at Dar es Salaam. Therefore we affirm the conclusion that the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA) has reached in the communique of their meeting in Mauritius in October 2007 that "a change in direction from our current trajectory is urgently needed" because "we want unity but not unity at any expense".

7. In view of our desire to move forward:

7.1 We call for an urgent meeting of the Primates to receive and conclude the draft Anglican Covenant and to determine how the Communion should move forward;

7.2 We urge that the proposed Lambeth Conference 2008 be postponed to a later date when bishops of all the provinces in the Communion can participate in a spirit of true collegiality and unity in the faith;

7.3 We request the Steering Committee to start preparations for the 4th Encounter of the Global South in 2008;

7.4 We receive with thanks the report of the Economic Empowerment Consultation in Accra, Ghana, in September 2007, and encourage the Task Force to continue to develop programmes to help our churches to be increasingly self-supporting;

7.5 We commend the work of the Theological Education and Formation Task Force, especially the drafting of the Anglican Catechism in Outline (ACIO), and urge our dioceses to make it available to all strata of leadership in preparation for its formal adoption in the first quarter of 2008;

7.6 We call upon bishops of the Global South and the Anglican Communion to write to their churches to explain the current situation and ask them to pray for the Communion at this crucial time which would lead to reformation and transformation.

8. We give thanks to God for the life and ministry of the following Primates who will be retiring in 2007 and we pray that they will have a blessed retirement:

* Most Rev Ignacio Capuyan Soliba (Philippines)
* Most Rev Samuel San Si Htay (Myanmar)
* Most Rev Dr Bernard Amos Malango (Central Africa)
* Most Rev Njongonkulu Ndungane (Southern Africa).

"I... urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints." (Jude 3)

Signed by:

Most Rev Dr Peter J. Akinola (Nigeria)
Most Rev Dr Bernard Amos Malango (Central Africa)
Most Rev Dr John Chew Hiang Chea (South East Asia)
Most Rev Ian Ernest (Indian Ocean)
Most Rev Dr Mouneer Hanna Anis (Jerusalem and the Middle East)
Most Rev Emmanuel Musaba Kolini (Rwanda)
Most Rev Justice Ofei Akrofi (West Africa)
Most Rev Henry Luke Orombi (Uganda)
Most Rev Dr Fidèle Dirokpa (Congo)