ACNS 4118 | WCC | 24 FEBRUARY 2006
Strong Anglican voice in future WCC work
Porto Alegre, Brazil - Anglicans will have a significant role in the World Council of Churches over the next seven years, both through representation on the Central Committee and also by the election of Dr. Mary Tanner, a member of the Church of England, as one of eight regional presidents of the WCC. The presidents serve as the public voice and face of the WCC in both their geographic regions and also worldwide in the period between General Assemblies, as well as being ex officio members of the WCC Central Committee. Dr. Tanner was elected president for the European region.
Dr Tanner has contributed to the ecumenical movement in a variety of ways throughout the years. She has been a member of the WCC Faith and Order Commission since 1974, serving as moderator from 1991 to 1998. She has also been a member of the Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the WCC since its inception in 1991. Dr Tanner has been involved in various ecumenical conversations on behalf of the Anglican Communion, including the Anglican-Roman Catholic conversation. From 1982 to 1998 she was active within the Church of England body which ultimately became the Council for Christian Unity, serving as its General Secretary from 1991 to 1998.
Upon the approval of her election as a WCC President, Dr. Tanner said "it is a huge privilege but also a great responsibility." Commenting on here election, Canon Kenneth Kearon, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, said: "Mary Tanner is a woman of proven ecumenical talent and experience. We are all delighted with her appointment and support her with our prayers." The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said "I'm delighted to know that one of the most distinguished Anglicans of our time is to serve the world Church in this way.
With regards to the Central Committee itself, fifteen Anglicans were elected as members of the 150-person body, representing 10% of the total. They come from many different churches and regions of the Anglican Communion, including Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, West Africa, Burundi, the Province of Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia, Australia, Japan, the West Indies, Wales, England, Spain, Canada, and the United States of America. This number includes eight women and seven men, seven lay persons and eight ordained persons, as well as three youth.
With respect to the overall Anglican voice in the WCC, Dr. Agnes Abuom, a member of the Anglican Church of Kenya and on the new Central Committee, said: "Having a strong Anglican presence on the WCC Central Committee is important at a time when Anglicans are looking for input from other churches regarding our current difficulties. I am also very pleased with the election of Mary Tanner as a president as she is a very sound theologian and it is important to have an English and Anglican input to the WCC at that level."
ACNS Special Report by Jamie McMahon
___________________________________________________________________ ACNSlist, published by Anglican Communion News Service, London, is distributed to more than 8,000 journalists and other readers around the world.
For subscription INFORMATION please go to:
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/acnslist.html