Ruth Gledhill - Times Online - WBLG

Peter Akinola: 'Unity will never be at the expense of truth'

I was privileged to be given the opportunity the other day to go and meet the Primate of Nigeria, Peter Akinola for an unprecedentedly frank interview. We spoke in his office in Abuja. One focus was the kind of man he is, his upbringing, relations with Islam. But inevitably we discussed the problems in the Anglican Communion as well. I wanted to know whether he and his 122 bishops - another five have been elected since we spoke - would be coming to Lambeth. Some of his words on that are also reported in our accompanying news story. (Update: There is lots of reaction, but for now I'll point you to one of the best. As usual, Get Religion has got it exactly. Thank you Mollie Hemingway. Apologies for earlier misattribution. Also thank you Chuck Blanchard for good analysis.)

Akinola on Lambeth, Canterbury, Islam and ritual sacrifice

The Archbishop and Primate of Nigeria, Dr Peter Akinola, has granted me an exclusive interview. I met him at his office in Abuja a few days ago. The piece will appear in T2 tomorrow, with added coverage online. Meanwhile, here is a little taster, on how God had other plans for him when he tried to evade his calling to the ministry as a young man.

Will this save or break the Communion?

This is Anglican TV's video of Martyn Minns' installation by Peter Akinola to serve as a missionary bishop in the US. Bishop Martyn is English by birth. Read Father Jake on how aspects of this controversy are now being fought out with pies. And MadPriest is getting madder. Read him for the latest Anglican jokes.

Justice badly done by

Embracing principles of justice and equality as many of have been in the debate over homosexuality in the Anglican Church, it might be time that some of us white Westerners asked ourselves whether we have inadvertently allowed ourselves to become perpetrators of another equally wicked calumny. We must stop and question whether, in condemning so stridently the seemingly homophobic stance adopted by the churches of the Global South, we have not allowed ourselves to veer just a teeny little bit towards racism. What a disgrace that would be, were we so to have done so, on this bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade.

Akinola 'demonised'

Friends of the Archbishop of Nigeria hope that the news that the Nigerian anti-gay laws have fallen will help throw some perspective on earlier of what is actually going on over there. 'There is a demonisation of Peter Akinola taking place which really is not fair, and sits very ill at ease with the remembrances on the abolition of slavery,' one told me today. 'It seems that Africans are to be welcomed and apologised to, unless we happen to disagree with them.' Integrity USA is running an interesting report from David Mac-Iyalla of Changing Attitude in Nigeria that suggests the bill is indeed dead. But Davis and others will not be officially celebrating until the end of May, in case it is re-introduced by the new parliament. (Picture of Archbishop Akinola in Tanzania taken by Matthew Davies.)

Drama at Abbey, Akinola 'comes out' on anti-gay law

Who exactly are the slaves of today, and why was this protester, Toyin Agbetu, so angry that he disrupted the slavery commemoration service at the Abbey today? Peter Akinola thinks he knows the answer to the first question. He has given an interview to Philip Groves, who head the listening process for the Anglican Communion, in which he makes it clear that he is fully behind the draconian anti-gay measures currently going through Nigeria's legislature. The Abbey protester Agbetu was angry because there has been no formal apology from Britain's government for this country's complicity in slavery, in spite of calls from Archbishop of York John Sentamu among others.

TEC rejects forces of 'colonialism'

The Rev Richard Kirker, pictured here, is an Anglican deacon refused ordination to the priesthood because of his openly gay lifestyle. He was subjected to an impromptu exorcism by an African bishop at the last Lambeth Conference. Yet until now he has shown remarkable Christian restraint in his public pronouncements on Rowan Williams, once considered a friend of his movement. As we report Thursday, just how serious things have become with the US rejection of the Primates' demands is now clear. Responding for the UK's Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, Kirker said: 'At last some sanity is breaking into the debate. There is an obvious realisation that the consequences of this pandering to the Puritans means an increasing hostility towards lesbian and gay people so clearly demonstrated by the Archbishop of Nigeria who is fiercely promoting anti-gay legislation in his country contrary to Scripture and all the decisions of Anglicanism over the last 30 years. The Archbishop of Canterbury has much to answer for. His decision to sell us down the river in the short term to buy time has back-fired – the Americans are having none of it and we hope he will now come to see his strategy has failed. If the Americans are expelled from the Anglican Communion this will encourage those already bent on our destruction to persecute lesbian and gay people even more. Forces of the extreme American right are playing a significant role in the decisions of the Anglican Communion at the behest of Dr Williams – we see this as a dangerous sign of things to come.' As a further mark of how serious this is, even Andrew Sullivan has taken it up.

Akinola must speak out to save gays

According to Rick Warren writing in Time, Dr Peter Akinola is one of the world's 100 most influential people. Rick says that like Mandela, he is 'man of peace and his leadership is a model for Christians around the world.' Yet even conservative Christians such as Ephraim Radner are beginning to ask why he has yet to speak out against a draconian new bill currently before Nigeria's parliament that Human Rights Watch today said threatens human rights and the country's democratic process. Australian priest Stephen Clark is among those wondering at Akinola's spirited attacks on gays while he remains silent on issues such as polygamy and the marrying off of 13-year-old girls.

TEC put on notice

As we reported in The Times today in a story updated for later editions, there has been a surprising, late-night development from Tanzania. I had speculated that the softness so far towards TEC augured a tough line in the Covenant and Communique, but even I did not expect anything quite so hard-line.

The US Episcopal Church has been given seven months to change its ways or face being kicked out of the Anglican Communion. In an unexpectedly hard-hitting set of recommendations, Primates of the Anglican Communion demanded an "unequivocal common covenant" under which dioceses in The Episcopal Church agree not to authorise same-sex blessings. They also demanded that no more gay men or women in active relationships with a person of the same sex be consecrated bishop. The recommendations are so severe in demanding proper repentance and a turning back from  The Episcopal Church that even arch-conservative Peter Akinola of Nigeria was prepared to sign up. Bishop Jefferts Schori also signed it, but there will be many in The Episcopal Church who will be angry at what they see as a sell-out of their liberal ideals. Reuters carried a report during the night. Early reaction is appearing on StandFirm. Thinking Anglicans is keeping up to date.

Anglican Covenant now published

The Anglican Covenant can now be read at ACNS, along with the report of the design group. I've also done a story for Times Online.

The key paragraph of the Covenant comes at the end:

'We acknowledge that in the most extreme circumstances, where member churches choose not to fulfil the substance of the covenant as understood by the Councils of the Instruments of Communion, we will consider that such churches will have relinquished for themselves the force and meaning of the covenant's purpose, and a process of restoration and renewal will be required to re-establish their covenant relationship with other member churches.'

See previous stories on the Primates' meeting at our newly-revivified Faith Page.

Communion broken in Dar es Salaam

Seven Global South Primates declined to share in the Eucharist at the Primates' Meeting in  Tanzania today. A further two, including Bernard Malango of Central Africa, went to the service but did not communicate. This is significant because Malango was one of the 'Gang of Four' who authored yesterday's TEC report. A source in the meeting tells me the discussions over the Anglican Covenant have not reflected the views of Kendall Harmon quoted in the previous post, and are "calm and measured". However, feelings are running high enough for the GS Archbishops, led by Nigeria's Peter Akinola, still to have felt unable to take communion alongside TEC Primate Dr Katharine Jefferts Schori. This was the first communion service of the meeting and as Fr Tobias says, might not augur well for the outcome. Although, as commentators on Thinking Anglicans note, this is not as big a boycott of communion as happened in Dromantine two years ago, where 14 did not partake, it still gives out a strong signal of dissent. Publication of the Anglican Covenant, expected today, has now been delayed until Monday because of the number of changes and corrections needed. It is I am told a very substantial document, but still a draft. The chair of the Covenant Drafting Group, Drexel Gomez, West Indies Primate, will disclose more in an hour or so at a press conference in Dar es. The delay was caused also by the Archbishop of Canterbury having to leave the meeting in the middle of the Covenant discussions to meet Tanzanian President  Jakaya Kikwete and local church leaders, as pictured below by a Lambeth Palace staffer. It goes almost without saying that discussion is now at a crucial stage. It is under the Covenant that the Communion will remain united, or not. More comments and links on Anglican Mainstream and the latest TA update. See notes from today's press briefing, below. Cartoons courtesy of Dave Walker.

Time for Anglicans to divorce

This is a longer version of an oped in the paper today. There is also a news story about the Primates, on how Sentamu might be excluded from the meeting and the significance of Archbishop Okoh's arrival in Tanzania.

There come times when organisations and the factions within them naturally start to drift apart, for reasons that cannot be wished away by the greater organisation itself. The Primates of the Anglican Communion might wish to consider the benefits of schism when they meet in Tanzania from tomorrow, Thursday. There have been many schisms in the Christian Church. The Great Schism was between East and West in 1054. The Reformation was a whole series of disruptions between the 14th and 17th centuries. In both, the seeds were sown long before the splits. Just as now, the differences were deep-seated and often cultural as well as theological. In retrospect, it is possible to argue that these schisms were necessary to allow the different churches to go their own way in freedom and faith. There seems little purpose in unity if the factions within an organisation cannot see eye to eye with each other any more.

(Pic above shows Jim Rosenthal, the Communion's communications director, briefing the press this morning, Wednesday, in a poolside room at the White Sands hotel. The briefing was security-guarded by a fearsomely-muscled South African imported specially for the business. Journalists learned that Archbishop Rowan had breakfast with Archbishops Akinola and Chew, although whether they ate fried or scrambled eggs was not disclosed. Wales and North India's Primates are not at the meeting. Archbishop Rowan has also made it clear that Bishop Jefferts Schori's presence at the meeting is "absolute and by invitation". Also, Jim emphasised that there would be no substitutes allowed for the absent Primates.)

An innocent's guide to things Anglican in the US

Jonathan has done an excellent story in the Daily Telegraph, a follow to the other Jonathan's offering in the Sunday. I mentioned this story to my newsdesk this week, who groaned. "Schism mark 27? No thank you. Can't you give us more on the Bishop of Southwark?" One problem I believe is that people might be confused by who is who, which covenant is which, what separates the AAC from the ACC (quite a lot), Nigeria from the US. (Ok, well maybe people are not confused about that last one.) In any case, the latest schism with all its ramifications can be followed with links on Thinking Anglicans. The response from Inclusive Church is up there too. Tom Wright has issued a gentle rebuke to his colleague at Rochester in an article for Fulcrum in which he wishes that the strength of feeling in the covenant could have been matched by the strength of thinking.