wfn.org | ACNS3489 Statement issued by Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu

["Anglican Communion News Service" <acnslist@anglicancommunion.org>]

ACNS 3489     |     SOUTH AFRICA     |     26 JUNE 2003

Statement issued by Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane

[ACNS source: Tulleken & Associates, CPSA] In the worldwide Anglican
Communion each province is autonomous and each of us faces various issues at
various times. The issue surrounding the appointment of Jeffrey John as a
suffragan bishop affects, in the first instance, the diocese of Oxford and
the Church in England, not the Church of the Province of Southern Africa.

I have tremendous respect for the Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Richard
Harries. He is a man of tremendous integrity. In like manner, I have
confidence in the Archbishop of Canterbury, both in his capacity as primate
of All England and as the focus of unity in the worldwide Anglican
community. He handles issues of this nature with tremendous sensitivity.

Likewise, issues raised in New Westminster and New Hampshire are matters for
the concern of the ecclesiastical province of Canada and USA respectively.
In all these issues we dont have the full facts so any response will depend
on information we are yet to receive from the primates concerned.

Our province is certainly not considering breaking communion with any other
province. The only time that we do this is when a province or diocese is not
in communion with the See of Canterbury on issues of faith and doctrine.

There has been mention of a possible schism but I can assure you the church
has withstood far worse without falling apart. The doomsday prophets also
predicted a schism over the ordination of women and were proved wrong.

 From time to time every parish, every diocese and every one of our 38
Henry Nouwen puts it, we must let our hearts descend into the heart of God
discern what is Gods will.
even use the word. What we need to do is not talk at each other but, as
premature to even consider talking about schism, the best thing is not to
and in that way we will be in a position to understand one another and
ecclesiastical provinces in the world communion go through periods of stress

I fully agree with the Archbishop of Canterbury that we dare not become
preoccupied with the sexuality issue. We must focus on mission. We are faced
with matters of life and death. Seventy-five percent of the worlds people
who are living with HIV or AIDS are in sub-Saharan Africa. People are
constantly dying and being infected and there are severe cases of poverty,
many people go hungry every day and there are instances of children taking
turns to have breakfast. We have a divine mandate to save lives and
evangelise every generation.

These are but some of the urgent matters that require our attention and I
pray to God that we can focus in a more concentrated way on the divine
imperative: to give hope to the hopeless, help to the helpless and healing
to the wounded, the sick and the lost.

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