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ACNS 3907     |     AFRICA     |     1 NOVEMBER 2004

Communiqui from the African Anglican Bishops' Conference

The First African Anglican Bishops' Conference held at the Archbishop 
Vining Memorial Cathedral Church Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria from 26 October - 1 
November, 2004 with the theme: 'Africa comes of Age - an Anglican 
Self-Evaluation' hereby issues the following communiqui:

*The participants from all over Africa and other Partners, as well as the 
Ecumenical partners noted that this conference has come at a critical time 
and commended the AABC Design Group for making this possible.

*The conference noted that the Anglican Church in Africa has indeed come of 
age and gone beyond the stage of mission "from the West to the rest", to 
that of mission "from everywhere to everywhere" and must therefore seek to 
work for the transformation of our continent by making the proclamation of 
the gospel in its fullness, and making it relevant to fight against 
poverty, HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other health concerns, corruption, conflicts 
and human rights abuses.

*Church leaders should engage in dialogue with our political leaders to 
identify the opportunities and strategies for maximising Africa's vast but 
grossly misappropriated and under-utilised resources by investment in 
profitable ventures and sharing of resources through linkages between 
African nations as New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) is 
already doing.

*The Church must take active interest in working for the political maturity 
of Africa, the empowerment of women, youth and children and other 
disadvantaged groups, through relevant education and adequate gate-keeping 
of our cherished values now under attack from unbridled media values.

*The Church should enter into a creative phase of building relationships 
between Christianity and communities of other faiths for the purpose of 
fostering better understanding, respect and peaceful co-existence, without 
compromising the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

*The time has come for the Church in Africa to address the pitfalls in our 
present theological and western world-view education, which has failed to 
relate with some of the socio-political and economic challenges and 
Christian faith in Africa. We need well-resourced, highly rated and 
contextually relevant theological institutions that can engage 
intelligently with our peculiar challenges from an African perspective.

*The Anglican Church in Africa should reach out to Christian minorities and 
the unreached peoples wherever they are, as an integral part of our caring 
ministry to the global community of Christians, by affirming and providing 
them with spiritual and material support.

*The conference reiterates our Biblical position on the ongoing controversy 
on human sexuality: God created us male and female and we cannot sacrifice 
truth for any revisionist agenda which leans on a faulty understanding of 
Christian unity. We note with approval that the Windsor Report calls for a 
moratorium on the ordination, election and consecration of any candidate to 
the Episcopate who is living in a same gender union and the blessing of 
same-sex unions. We are committed to the united future life of the Anglican 
Communion, one that is rooted in truth and love and faithfulness to the 
gospel of Christ, according to the Scriptures.

*We are grateful for the presence of the representatives of the Network of 
Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes at this historic gathering. We 
salute their boldness, courage and faithful witness and acknowledge them as 
our partners in mission in the United States of America. We grieve with 
those who are alienated within their own Province because of their stand 
for the historic faith and order of the Church. We pledge them the full 
weight and support of our ministries. We pray God's favour on the Network 
as we look forward to many new and creative partnerships for the Gospel in 
the coming years.

*The Anglican Church in Africa is poised to collaborate with other partners 
in progress such as our various governments and voluntary organisations to 
emancipate our continent from the long night of ethnic conflicts and wars 
and to work to usher in the new dawn of democracy, peace and 
reconciliation, social and economic reconstruction in an atmosphere that is 
devoid of the injustices and oppression that have bedevilled our progress.

*This conference is concerned about the violent situations in Daffur in 
Sudan, Iraq and Israel/Palestine that has resulted in multiple loss of 
lives. The conference, while acknowledging the peace mediatory role of the 
Governments of Nigeria, Egypt, Libya and the international community, prays 
that the current agreement signed by both parties in Sudan as well as the 
peace moves in Iraq and Israel/Palestine will result in lasting peace in 
these areas.

*We give thanks to Almighty God for this historic meeting, and pledge 
ourselves to ongoing fellowship, mutual support and shared witness in the 
continent of Africa. To this end, we will meet every five years, twice 
before the Lambeth Conference.

The Most Revd Peter J Akinola, CON, DD
Primate of All Nigeria and Chairman of the Council of Anglican Provinces of 
Africa

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