wfn.org | [ENS] Forum stretches, informs; challenges church to act,

["Mika Larson" <mini_mika@earthlink.net>]

reconcile, lead

August 1, 2003

Forum stretches, informs; challenges church to act, reconcile, lead

by Sarah T. Moore
 
"Global dialogue returns to this space," said an ebullient Presiding
Bishop Frank Griswold as he welcomed nearly 1,000 people, including many
international visitors, to St. Mark's Cathedral in downtown Minneapolis
Thursday night to hear the "Presiding Bishop's Forum on Global
Reconciliation."

Forty-nine years ago, almost to the month, the first pan-Anglican
congress held outside Great Britain gathered at St. Mark's. At that time
nearly 800 delegates attended that international meeting at which the
now internationally recognized symbol of the Anglican Communion, the
Compass Rose, was first used. A large image of the Compass Rose lay on
the floor of the transept of St. Mark's this second night of the 74th
General Convention.

Griswold was pleased to introduce the Most Rev. Njongonkulu Ndungane,
archbishop of Cape Town representing the worldwide Anglican Communion,
to speak on the issues of international debt, HIV/AIDS, and economic
distress of the province of Southern Africa. Read more about the
archbishop's presentation here.

Griswold also welcomed macroeconomist Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of the
Earth Institute, professor of sustainable development and of health and
policy and management at Columbia University and special adviser to
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

"Jeffrey Sachs' voice is one that Episcopalians more broadly need to
hear," said Griswold, in introducing the macroeconomist who advises Kofi
Annan on a group of poverty-alleviation initiatives under the name of
Millennium Development Goals. This topic is to be considered by General
Convention in a resolution from the Committee on National and
International Affairs (D006). Read more about Sachs' presentation here.

Following Ndungane and Sachs, three young professionals spoke of their
work in global reconciliation: Abagail Nelson, director of Latin
American Programs at Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD); Ranjit
Mathews, a "Witness Anglican UN Intern" at the Anglican Observer's
Office at the United Nations, seminarian, and postulant for holy orders
in the Diocese of Massachusetts; and the Rev. Dr. Sabina Alkire,
Anglican priest, author, previous coordinator of Culture and Poverty
Learning-Research Program at the World Bank, and currently a research
fellow at the Global Equity Initiative at Harvard. Read more about their
presentation here.

The seeds of this forum were planted at the House of Bishops meeting
following September 11th, Griswold said. It was a time to focus on
global citizenship, the worldwide Anglican Communion, and to let people
teach us about reconciliation around the world, he said. After listening
to papers from South Africa, Pakistan and around the globe, the bishops
heard "stretching perspectives" and began to think of themselves in a
new way across the cultural divide. 

Out of that conference Griswold published a book on those papers, Waging
Reconciliation, which generated a reaction of hate and anger rather than
reconciliation. It convinced him the need was even greater.

As one of 38 Anglican primates gathering regularly, Griswold said, "I am
deeply aware how interconnected we are and take more seriously our
global role. Reconciliation has to do with the world. These speakers
broaden our horizons and invite us to collaboration and deeper
solidarity, in concrete, real terms that involve us all."

Nan Cobbey and Sharon Sheridan, Convention Daily writers, and Matthew
Greco contributed to this article.