wfn.org | [ENS] ACC continues dialogue on Israel-Palestine, ecumenism,

["Matthew Davies" <mdavies@episcopalchurch.org>]

Friday, June 24, 2005

ACC continues dialogue on Israel-Palestine, ecumenism, sexuality issues

'Ongoing conflict can be stopped,' Jerusalem bishop tells delegates

By Neva Rae Fox and Matthew Davies

ENS 062405-4

[ENS, Nottingham] -- Devoting two business sessions to discussion of
peacemaking in Israel and Palestine, the Anglican Consultative Council
(ACC)
on June 24 commenced a three-day focus on ecumenism, and continued the
listening process on sexuality issues.

"We heard from Israel Jewish voices, and from Palestinians, both those
who
reside in Israel and those who live under occupation," said Dr. Jenny
Plane
Te Paa -- "ahorangi" or dean of Te Rau Kahikatea, an indigenous
constituent
of the College of St. John the Evangelist in Auckland, New Zealand -- in
presenting the report of the Anglican Peace and Justice Network (APJN).

Te Paa, who has been the APJN convener since 1997, noted the continuing
policies of illegal home demolitions, detentions, check-points, identity
card systems and the presence of Israeli military "that make any kind of
normal life impossible."

The Rt. Rev. Riah Abu El-Assal, Anglican bishop in Jerusalem, told the
ACC
that many people are ignorant of the facts on the ground and indifferent
to
the plight of those who suffer in the Holy Land. "Ignorance breeds
indifference," he said. "This ongoing conflict can be stopped."

[Further ENS coverage of the presentation is posted at
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_63218_ENG_HTM.htm; the full APJN
report
is available at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/1834_62314_ENG_HTM.htm.

Other business sessions included an address from the Anglican
Communion's
new secretary general, and an overview of communication programs linking
the
world's 77 million Anglicans in 164 nations.

Today marked the fifth business day of the ACC's 10-day meeting at
England's
University of Nottingham. One of the Anglican Communion's four
"instruments
of unity," the ACC is its chief consultative body bringing together
laity
and clergy from around the world.

Secretary General's report

In his first address to the ACC as Secretary General of the Anglican
Communion, the Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon underscored the interdependence
of
the Anglican community of faith.

"We are a community of faith," he said. "We belong to local parishes, we
belong to dioceses, we belong to provinces, we belong to a world-wide
Anglican Communion."

He continued: "We meet together as Anglicans, we meet as a community of
faith, and we recognize the enrichment of faith that comes from our
engagement with each other. The fact is we need each other for our
growth in
the faith. That's what the word interdependence really means: the word
that
is used in the Windsor Report but also has been used within Anglicanism
for
very very many decades now.

"Interdependence is not just a desirable feature of Anglicanism, it is
about
sharing, it is about depending on our fellow Christians in the various
communities of faith so that together we can work together to share and
to
enrich our faith. As partners in a community of faith we need to ensure
that
we genuinely communicate with one another."

He echoed themes heard in other sessions: ecumenism and listening.

"As a community of faith, we recognize that our partners in that
community
are not just simply our fellow Anglicans, the presence of our ecumenical
partners and their representatives here at our meeting of the council is
a
tangible sign of the maturity of our ecumenical relations today."

Noting that the February Primates meeting produced a unanimous
communiqué,
he offered, "The lesson is that when we as Anglicans meet together in a
context of prayer and bible study and mutual respect, it is possible for
us
to discern a way forward together."

He pointed out the importance of listening: "There is integrity on both
sides of this debate. If we don't recognize that fact then there is no
point
in having a listening process, because the listening simply won't happen
if
one side is already deaf to what the other has to share."

Listening is vital to the ongoing process outlined in the Windsor
Report, he
said. "We have made some important decisions this week about the Windsor
process, particularly the setting up of the listening process, in the
long
term I believe is going to be one of the most important things we have
done
this week."

He concluded: "These are difficult times for our Communion, I think you
all
realize that that is an understatement, but we have taken important
steps to
maintain and develop and strengthen our Communion."

Ecumenism

"Ecumenism is not just an international conversation. It is a regional
conversation. It is a national conversation. In Anglican terms, it is a
diocesan conversation, and it is a parish conversation," said the Rev.
Canon
Gregory K. Cameron in presenting the report of the Anglican Communion
Department of Ecumenical Affairs and Theological Studies.

Cameron, who is deputy secretary general and director of ecumenical
affairs
and theological studies, said the starting point for the ecumenism
focus, he
said, is, "There is only one church of Jesus Christ. All Christians are
members of that church."

He cited recent Anglican Communion experiences, such as the
Christological
Agreement with the Oriental Orthodox. "Don't confuse the Oriental
Orthodox
with the Eastern Orthodox," he warned. "The distinction between those
two
families of Christians began in the year 451 AD. We're talking about one
of
the earliest splints of Christian family churches."

Another challenge, according to Cameron, is shaping the ecumenical
movement
into 21st century terms.

He also addressed "the challenge of recent developments" concerning the
Episcopal Church of the United States and the Anglican Church of Canada.
"The Anglican-Oriental Orthodox stopped work because of recent
developments.
The Russian Orthodox have been extremely pessimistic. The Lutheran World
Federation is looking to the Anglicans because it knows it's a few
hundred
yards behind us on the same track."

In response to a question from an ACC member, Cameron addressed issues
of
who has the authority to approve the ecumenical arrangements.
"Relationships
between the four instruments of unity are very complex," he said. "Both
I
and my predecessor are pragmatists We've tended to bring whatever
progress
to whatever the next instrument of unity who is meeting next."

Work with the Baptists

At a reception prior to the start of the afternoon session, the
Archbishop
of Canterbury joined Baptist leader the Rev. Dr. Paul Fiddes in
commending a
new book, "Conversations Around the World, 2000-2005, " the report of
the
Intentional Conversations between the Anglican Communion and the
Baptists
World Alliance.

This outcome, Williams said, is based on "five years of regional
conversations."

Fiddes, the Baptist co-chair of the committee, said, "Discussions were
very
significant in six regions of the world." Fiddes noted that the 110-page
book does not end with questions or recommendations, "but will prompt
conversations."

"We've become more familiar with Anglicans than [have] some Anglicans on
this island," Fiddes quipped.

What followed was the first of three reports on ecumenical relations
with
other religions denominations slated for the remaining of the ACC
meeting.

To the ACC assembly, Fiddes explained that the report was broken into
two
major sections: a report of the conversations and the collections of the
stories, "How Anglicans and Baptists have worked together in the mission
of
Christ."

He explained the conversations occurred in six regions (Europe, Asia,
Africa, Southern Cone, Caribbean and North America). The participants
were
organized from the local area, while a small group traveled to all the
meetings. Each meeting contained half Anglicans and half Baptists.

"Conversations were seriously theological from the outset," he said,
focusing on eight themes: Continuity; Confessing the faith; Mission and
ministry; Baptism and the process of initiation; Membership; Eucharist
or
Lord's Supper; Pastoral Oversight; and the meaning of recognition

Fiddes concluded with the final words of the report: "There was also a
strong desire for what had been achieve in the meetings to be extended
into
more occasions for shared workshop and working together. Each meeting
ended,
as does this report, with a sense of gratitude to God for each other's
story."

ACC approved a resolution which "welcomes the publication of the
Conversation (book) and to commend them at every level for study and
reflection; encourages Anglican to meet with Baptist at the appropriate
level and locally and reflect on the report; offers its congratulations
to
the member of the committee; and requests the ecumenical office to
continue
the conversations.

Ecumenical greetings

Fiddes, principal of Regent's Park College, Oxford, on behalf of the
Baptists World Alliance also provided the afternoon's ecumenical
greeting.
"We are grateful for the recently worldwide conversations which have
shown
in a new way the unity we have in Christ," he said. "It has helped us to
appreciate the spectrum of God's grace."

Speaking of the work undertaking together, he observed: "In the Third
World
setting, where hunger, war and poverty dominate, denominationalism falls
away and our unity in Christ is more important."

Presenter of the day's first Ecumenical Greeting, offered on behalf of
the
Ecumenical Patriarcate, was Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia.

"Your meeting takes place in an important history not only in your own
church but in the Christina church as well," he said. "We who bear the
name
of Christians realize that we are facing new challenges in the world in
which we live. These challenges strengthen and deepen our unity in
Christ
and our ecumenical relations. In order to respond to these challenges,
it is
necessary for us to avoid or overcome any divisive in our own churches."

"The challenges that the Church of Christ receive from the world today
go
beyond our internal problems," he said, citing religion used as a source
of
conflict and fanaticism, hatred and discrimination, poverty and an
environmental crisis. "We can join forces never losing sight of the one
church as our Lord wants us to be."

Communication

"Communication is not magic," Canon James Rosenthal said, "although
there
appears there is a problem when there is a lack of communication, we are
told."

Rosenthal, who is director of communications at the Anglican Communion
Office in London, warned of the consequences of a lack of communication.
"If
we do not tell the story, others will do it for us."

Recognizing the teamwork of colleagues, Rosenthal provided statistics
about
the web site: the web site logged more than 1 million visits between
June
2004 to May 2005; and the Windsor report was downloaded 165,086 times.

"We must strive for excellence," he said. "We must maintain a sense of
who
we are as a communion."

Rosenthal shared the most frequently asked question that his office
fields:
"How do we get in touch with Desmond Tutu?" Rosenthal called Tutu, the
archbishop emeritus of Southern Africa, "a voice crying in the
wilderness
for the voice of Christ. His voice and his image always inspire joy."

Noting that this ACC meeting "has attracted more media interest than any
since my first ACC meeting in 1991," Rosenthal concluded, "We cannot and
should not rely on the secular media or interest groups to carry our
message
to the world. It is not their job it is not their responsibility."

Listening process continues

In further response to the listening process requested for the Anglican
Communion since the 1998 Lambeth Conference, presentations were heard
from
five provinces in addition to the seven that were offered June 23
representing varied views on sexuality (see ENS report of June 23).

Four of the presentations -- from Tanzania, Kenya, Peru (Southern Cone),
and
Congo -- concurred with the view that homosexuality is incompatible with
scripture, while a delegate from Scotland said his province is committed
to
engage the debate around the issues.

Citing Lambeth resolution 1.10, Bishop Gerard E. Mpango of Western
Tanganyika, Tanzania, explained that his province acknowledges that,
"although all people are loved by God and full members of the body of
Christ, we reject homosexual practice as incompatible with scripture."
He
added his personal disappointment with the June 21 presentations of the
Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada.

"As we continue this conversation and develop a listening process, I
pray
that we listen to all voices in the Anglican Communion," he said.

Bishop Samson Mwaluda of Taita Tavete, Kenya, read a report that
emphasized
the importance of being part of a global Communion but cited
disappointment
at the degree of listening. "We have been listening but we feel that we
have
not been listened to," he said. "We listen and continue to listen [but]
we
feel we have not received any substantial share of them listening to
us."

Explaining the Anglican Church of Kenya has been a close partner with
the
Episcopal Church in areas of theological education, information
technology,
HIV/AIDS and development, Mwaluda said, "We have enjoyed progress in
these
areas with the financial assistance of Episcopal Church."

Mwaluda also said weight must be given to the authority of scripture,
explaining that "biblical foundations must be given room."

John Stuart, secretary general of the Scottish Episcopal Church, said
that
his province's bishops issued a statement earlier this month that
renewed a
commitment to engage in the human sexuality debate. "Our bishops have
committed to listen to other voices in the Anglican Communion," he said.

The Rev. Andrew Lenton from Peru said that too much time has been given
to
the damage caused to mission and teaching in his province and raised
concerns that all Anglicans are being "tarred with the same brush."

"A good number of our family have left," he said. "In the end they felt
they
had to go [and] our capacity to respond in mission has been greatly
impaired."

Political tensions in Congo

Two ACC delegates from the Congo, Bishop Kahwa Henri Isingoma of Katanga
and
Joyce Muhindo Tsongo, delivered their presentation in French -- with an
English translator -- describing some of the country's political
tensions
while also explaining that the Anglican Communion is a gift of God.

"It is important for us to have a sense of playing a worldwide role in
our
historical and doctrinal connection with the other provinces within the
Anglican world, Tsongo said. "Nevertheless, she remains a church which
operates in a cultural context and there are social tensions which keep
her
particularly unhappy."

Tsongo explained that conflict in the Congo has caused the displacement
of
more than 3 million people and that the church has lost many of its
members
including an ACC representative who was assassinated while on his way to
the
2002 meeting in Hong Kong.

"A very large number of people, including Anglicans, have been
internally
displaced. Others to neighboring countries such as Rwanda, Uganda and
Burundi," he said. "We've recorded many cases of people traumatized by
the
war, especially women and girls and people who have been separated from
their parents."

Tsongo said that it is "very paradoxical" to find a situation such as
this
in a country so full of natural resources.

Isingoma explained that, although the Congolese people have experienced
many
tribulations, they have great hope, adding that they long for an
opportunity
to stand up and have their voices heard. "Christianity continues to
grow,"
he said.

Relating to issues of human sexuality, Isingoma said that the province
remains "passionately committed" to the communion.

Recovering from tsunami

The Rev. Rajendran Rajkumar of Sri Lanka said that the work of this ACC
meeting would not be complete without some reference to the tsunami that
devastated South East Asia December 2004, killing more than 200,000 and
displacing many more.

"We must recognize the gratitude for the amount of goodwill in the
country,"
he said. "People of all races, religions and sects came together in all
parts of the country. The best of humanity was expressed and shown."

Expressing deep gratitude on behalf of the Anglican Church in Sri Lanka
and
the National Christian Council of which he was chair at the time,
Rajkumar
said, "The rebuilding and reconciliation process is likely to continue
for
years. Rebuilding the livelihoods of people is an especially important
aspect."

"We have been very conscious not to just help the Christians, but people
of
all faiths and all races in helping with construction," he added, asking
for
continuing prayers, "for our leaders and our people so that the whole
country can benefit."

-- Neva Rae Fox is a member of the Episcopal News Service team for
ACC-13.
She is director of communications for the Diocese of New York. Matthew
Davies is staff writer and web manager of Episcopal News Service.

___________________________
To SUBSCRIBE to enslist, send a blank email message, from the address
which
you wish subscribed, to: join-enslist@epicom.org

Send QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS to news@episcopalchurch.org.

The enslist is published by Episcopal News Service:
www.episcopalchurch.org/ens