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[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

ACNS 3045 - CANADA - 1 July 2002

Rwandan Archbishop supports New Westminster dissidents

by Leanne Larmondin

[Anglican Church of Canada] Dissident Anglican clergy, who walked out of
their diocesan synod protesting a vote to allow same-sex blessings, have an
offer of "ecclesiastical protection" from a bishop far afield of their
Vancouver-area diocese of New Westminster.

The offer - described as "meaningless" by the bishop of New Westminster -
comes from Emmanuel M Kolini, Archbishop of Rwanda and Bishop of Kigali, and
more recently, one of two renegade archbishops who last year consecrated
four 'missionary' bishops in the Episcopal Church in the United States,
purportedly to minister to traditional Episcopalians who objected to women
priests and other moves toward a more liberal church.

In his letter, Archbishop Kolini wrote that communion, or the relationship
of the diocese of New Westminster with the Anglican Church worldwide, "has
been jeopardised by the schismatic acts" of the synod. He sympathised with
the clergy for the so-called "threats toward you and numerous others
concerning your clerical licenses," and assured them "we will not recognise
any such efforts." The Archbishop added that he would be willing to share
with others "the possibility of ecclesiastical protection." (Archbishop
Kolini could not be reached in Rwanda to authenticate the letter, which
originally appeared on the Web site of the Prayer Book Society of Canada.)

The bishop of New Westminster, Michael Ingham, last week sent a letter to a
dozen clergy who walked out of synod on June 15 asking whether they wished
to remain licensed in the diocese of New Westminster "under my jurisdiction
and authority as your diocesan bishop." In his letter, Bishop Ingham
appealed to the clergy to "stay within the diocesan family and continue to
exercise your ministry among us." The deadline for responding is 2 July
2002.

In an interview, Bishop Ingham denied that the letter was a threat, but
rather, it was a letter for clarification.

"I want to know whether the walkout was a protest or had they resigned,"
said the bishop. If the clergy had resigned from the diocese, Bishop Ingham
said, he would need to declare vacancies in those parishes affected. Clergy
and members of parishes are free to leave the church at any time, he said,
but the land and buildings are property of the diocese.

Bishop Ingham, who has only seen a Web site version of Archbishop Kolini's
letter, called the offer of episcopal protection "meaningless" since the
archbishop has no jurisdiction in Canada.

"He has never been in contact with me or tried to ascertain the facts of the
situation," said Bishop Ingham. "He is clearly being manipulated by this
dissident group which is feeding him partial information."

Revd Ed Hird, incumbent of St Simon's, North Vancouver, and a spokesperson
for the dissident clergy, said his group had sent a response to Bishop
Ingham, who had not yet received it by Thursday afternoon. In an interview,
Mr Hird declined to discuss the particulars of the clergy response but said
his group had not left the diocese, but rather, it is the diocese which is
acting in isolation of the church worldwide.

"We withdrew from synod because we think synod acted schismatically," said
Mr Hird. The group, which now calls itself the Anglican Communion in New
Westminster, was asking even before the diocesan synod for the appointment
of another bishop to minister to them. Such an appointment is called
alternative episcopal oversight.

Prior to Archbishop Kolini's offer, Mr Hird was confident that a Canadian
bishop would step in and offer his oversight. Thirteen Canadian bishops
(just under one-third of the country's bishops) issued a statement two days
after the New Westminster synod, decrying its decision. They called on the
diocese to withhold implementation of same-sex blessings.

Mr Hird called the 13 bishops "very supportive" but said it would be
difficult for a Canadian bishop to offer episcopal oversight, since, he
suggested, the bishop might be disciplined by the primate, Archbishop
Michael Peers. Bishops may not exercise jurisdiction outside their dioceses,
unless another bishop requests it.

Meanwhile, the dissident clergy continue to explore their options, which
could include closer ties with a continuing or parallel church in the United
States, said Mr Hird.

That church, the Anglican Mission in America is led by the bishops
consecrated in June 2001 in Denver by Archbishop Kolini and Archbishop Datuk
Yong Ping Chung of South East Asia.

The AMiA - about 40 congregations which parted with the Episcopal Church in
the United States - is considered a splinter group by many in the Anglican
Communion. George Carey, the Archbishop of Canterbury, called the
consecrations of the missionary bishops - who serve within the territorial
boundaries of the Episcopal Church - "at best irregular and at worst
schismatic."

AMiA members, however, continue to consider themselves part of the Anglican
Communion through their connections with the Anglican provinces of Rwanda
and South East Asia.

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