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Global Anglican Leaders Issue Grave Warning to Canadian Church
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 22 September 2006
VANCOUVER – Global South Anglican archbishops and leaders, representing over 70 per cent of active Anglicans worldwide, concluded their meetings in Rwanda today with a statement demonstrating the consequences for churches that stray from authentic, biblically-faithful Anglican teaching.
These leaders, known as Primates, responded to the U.S. church’s attempt to remain part of the global Anglican Church while at the same time refusing to uphold traditional and mainstream Anglican doctrine and practice. They have called for the formation of a “separate ecclesiastical structure of the Anglican Communion in the USA” and for another bishop to represent “those dioceses and congregations who are abiding by the teaching of the Communion”. They pointed out that as a result of her theological views “in direct contradiction to Lambeth 1.10 and the historic teaching of the Church”, many of them could not recognize the newly-elected leader of the US Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts-Schori, as an Anglican Primate, while others consider themselves in “impaired communion” with her – and with the Church she represents.
While the statement deals specifically with the Church in the US, Canada is mentioned as well. Global South Church leaders said they were “greatly encouraged by Network Dioceses and all of the other congregations and communities of faithful Anglicans in North America. In addition, we commend the members of the Anglican Network in Canada for their commitment to historic, biblical faith and practice. We value their courage and consistent witness.”
Archbishop Greg Venables, Primate of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone (in South America) was present at the Rwanda summit and reported that “the spirit of unity at this Primates meeting has been remarkable.” However, he said, “It has become tragically obvious to us that the Episcopal Church in the US has departed from Christian teaching and practice. Sadly, the institutional structures of the Communion must catch up with that reality. It is our prayer that the Anglican Church of Canada will bear this in mind in the upcoming General Synod and turn
“This comes as a dire warning for the Anglican Church of Canada,” says Anglican Network in Canada Executive Director, Cheryl Chang, “Global South leaders will be clearly defining for all what it means to be truly Anglican, and that requires a commitment to historic authentic Anglican teaching. If the Anglican Church of Canada chooses to follow the path of the U.S. Episcopal Church, they too will be deemed to be “walking apart” from the global Church and a new ecclesiastical structure will be required for Canada as well.”
The full text of the Global South Anglican Primates’ statement can be found at www.globalsouthanglican.org.
The Anglican Network in Canada actively represents and supports all Canadian Anglicans and parishes whose biblically-faithful views put them at odds with their Canadian church authorities. The Network is also committed to ensuring that these Canadian Anglicans will be able to officially remain in communion with their spiritual brothers and sisters around the world – even if the Anglican Church of Canada permanently “walks apart”.
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