wfn.org | [ACNS] French-speaking Anglicans set theological education,

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

ACNS 4020     |     USA     |	  10 AUGUST 2005

French-speaking Anglicans set theological education, translation as
priorities

[Source: Episcopal News Service Matthew Davies] Theological education in
the Anglican Communion and translating key liturgical documents into
French were given high priority as the Anglican Francophone Network met
in Montreal, Canada, July 12-19, to help francophone leaders develop a
"better and deeper understanding of partnerships" with North American
Anglicans and Episcopalians.

"This is a major part of the Communion," said Margaret Larom, director
of Anglican and Global Relations. "[The network] helps to raise the
identity of French speaking Anglicans and to bridge the gaps -- the
cultural, geographical and historical gaps -- among the different
pockets of the French speaking Anglican world."

Representing approximately 4 million French-speaking Anglicans around
the world, the Francophone Network was recognized as an official network
of the Anglican Communion at the 2002 meeting of the Anglican
Consultative Council in Hong Kong.

The network was preceded by the Executive Council of the French Speaking
Anglicans around the World and an association called
Rencontres-International which maintains and develops ties among
French-speaking Anglican churches and missions in the world.

Rencontres-International held its first international conference in
Limuru, Kenya, with the logistic support of ANITEPAM (the African
Network of Institutions of Theological Education Preparing Anglicans for
Ministry) in 1995. Conferences followed in Canterbury in 1998, and Paris
in 2001. In 2003, the first official meeting of the Anglican Francophone
Network was held in Mauritius.

Bishop Pierre Whalon of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe,
an Episcopal Church diocese, explained that a phenomenal growth in
francophones has occurred in recent years with very few resources in
French.

"There is now a great need for such resources and also the training of
lay and clergy leaders in that language," he said. "While English has
become the dominant language of the planet, French remains the official
language of 64 countries, and the other official language of the United
Nations and the Olympic Games."

The conference passed fifteen resolutions, including one declaring that
the members of the Francophone Network are determined to remain in full
communion with one other, Whalon explained. "The same resolution called
upon the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Secretary-General of the
Communion to institute global conversations about how power is to be
shared in the Communion," he said. "Because several African members
could not be present it was decided to seek their opinion before
publishing that resolution."

Bishop Roger Chung Po Chuen of Antsiranana in the Indian Ocean said that
the meeting was instrumental in strengthening the bonds of unity in the
Anglican Communion from the francophone perspective.

"The Francophone Network is another pillar of open dialogue, mutual
understanding and reconciliation facilitator in the ever diversified
Anglican Communion," he said. "One of our resolutions is to be an active
Network in liaising with the Archbishop of Canterbury for consolidating
the building up of effective links of affection in the lack of
inter-ecclesial facilities which are causes of misunderstanding and
conflict."

Translations of critical resources, such as Richard Hooker's Laws of
Ecclesiastical Polity, were called for and several other resolutions
dealt with theological education development, Whalon added. "Besides
these resolutions, there was much conversation about developing new
missions in francophone countries in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific where
there is little or no Anglican presence."

The Convocation of American Churches in Europe has recently launched
four French mission congregations with possibilities for many more,
Whalon explained.

Dr. Ellie Johnson, acting general secretary of the Anglican Church of
Canada, brought greetings from the Canadian Primate, Archbishop Andrew
Hutchison, and spoke about some of the province's work with
French-speaking Anglicans.

"Canadian francophone Anglicans were delighted to host the conference
because they find great solidarity in belonging to this network of other
francophone Anglicans," she said. "Francophone Anglicans are widely
scattered in our Communion, and they clearly rejoice when they are able
to come together to share their resources, stories and experiences."

Emphasizing the importance of theological education and translation,
Johnson said that delegates identified the need for key documents and
liturgical texts to be translated, noting that the issue of translation
has not yet been addressed by the Anglican Communion Office.

Larom said that the Episcopal Church had facilitated the French
translation of the official Anglican Communion brochure because the
Anglican Communion Office doesn't have the financial resources. "There
are very few theological and educational resources -- most of the texts
are in English," she said. "So the need for money to make that happen is
large and this is a small network. The purpose of this meeting was to
help the francophonee understand the commitment of the North American
partners."

The Rev. Canon Ogé Beauvoir, dean of the theological seminary in Haiti,
was re-elected as president of the network. He described the vision of
the bishop of Haiti to host a seminary which would be available for
French-speaking Africans to come and study. For 25 years, efforts to
open a seminary in the Congo have proved unsuccessful because of
instability in the region.

"Lay and ordained leadership training remains the first priority of the
Francophone Network in the Anglican Communion," said Beauvoir. "We need
leaders properly trained to sustain the growth of the francophone aisle
of the Anglican Communion. Well trained leaders will not only celebrate
the diversities of the Anglican mosaic but also promote its unity."

Haiti is the largest diocese in the Episcopal Church which, according to
Beauvoir, has 112,000 members.

"The network also asked its member Provinces to consider placing on
their saints' calendars James Theodore Holly (1829-1911), founder of the
Episcopal Diocese of Haiti and its first bishop," Whalon said. "It also
passed a resolution supporting a move to use 'L'Église Épiscopale du
Canada' as the official French name for the Anglican Church of Canada.
Canadian members pointed out in their presentations that while the
dioceses of Montreal and Quebec now understand their future to be in
French, their are still numerous obstacles toward that goal."

Joanne Chapman, coordinator of the Episcopal Church's United Thank
Offering (UTO), which invites grant applications from the provinces, and
Janis Rosheuvel of Episcopal Relief and Development also attended the
conference. The Rev. Mary Ellen Dolan, a priest in the Diocese of Rhode
Island, serves on the network's executive council.

Rosheuvel said that emphasis was placed on building partnerships with
the francophone countries and provinces. "ERD has been trying to build
links in the francophone world for quite a while," she said. "We
currently have partners in Burundi, Congo and Haiti and we were able to
make a serious connection with Bishop Chung from the Indian Ocean. We're
already on the way to funding a food security program which we hope will
flourish during the coming year."

In addition to the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada,
the Francophone Network includes the provinces of West Africa, Rwanda,
Burundi, Congo, Madagascar, and the Indian Ocean.

The network expressed its appreciation for the ACC's recognition in Hong
Kong and the financial support from the Episcopal Church.

"I hope that the network can continue to grow and serve francophone
Anglicans through the production of TEE (Theological Education by
Extension) materials and other forms of resourcing," Larom said, "so
that we can do what the francophone Anglicans are asking of us."

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