Anglican Conference 'We will stand with you,' primates tell conservative Anglicans By Craig M. Kibler The Layman Online Monday, November 14, 2005 PITTSBURGH, Pa. – An international panel of Anglican bishops, building on a theme from the day before, told a gathering of conservative Anglicans on Friday morning that they would "stand with you" should their American counterparts decide to leave the Episcopal Church USA. "Yes, we will stand with you as long as you remain faithful, Biblical, evangelical and orthodox," said Bishop Datuk Yong Ping Chung, who represents the Province of South East Asia. The comments from the primates from the geographic area known as the Global South, came on the second day of the first-ever international conference "Hope and a Future," sponsored by the Anglican Communion Network. The network was created by conservative bishops after the denomination's decision in 2003 to accept an openly gay bishop and give tacit approval to same-sex blessings. The two-year-old movement is made up of 10 Episcopal dioceses and more than 800 parishes, constituting about 10 percent of the Episcopal Church USA's 2.3 million members. At least 10 provinces, including those of the seven archbishops who attended the "Hope and A Future" conference, and as many as 22 of the Anglican Communion's 38 provinces, have either broken with or declared impaired relations with the 2.3-million-member Episcopal Church over its consecration of Bishop V. Gene Robinson. Episcopal Bishop Robert W. Duncan Jr., one of the founders of the network, opened the conference Thursday by saying that it will focus on the renewal of North American Anglicanism and "the rebirth of a Biblical, missionary and united Anglicanism." That focus is opposed to what he called "a wayward American church," whose "departures are a symptom of a deeper problem, which is the diminution of the authority of Holy Scripture." The Rev. Peter Jasper Akinola, primate of all Nigeria, which is home to more than 18 million Anglicans, told the more than 2,000 participants Thursday that, "Jesus Christ calls on us to do his will. How long are you going to continue to waver? How long are you going to continue to doubt?" "This is the moment to make a decision. The Word of God is the supreme rule of life and living. What we [in Nigeria] have done has freed us. Today we are free. As long as we hold this [Word of God] together, we are with you every inch of the way." On Friday, Akinola told the gathering that, "Bishops of the network must realize time is no longer of their side – this is your kairos moment to make up your mind what to do. Many of you have one leg in [the Episcopal Church] and one leg in the network. If you really want the Global South to partner with you, you must let us know exactly where you stand. Are you Episcopalian or are you network?" The Rev. Henry Luke Orombi, primate of the Anglican Church of Uganda, had told the gathering that, "We come to stand with you. We are here to encourage you. Brothers and sisters, fix your eyes on Jesus Christ and he will make it possible. Trust in the Lord. It may be hard now, but trust in the Lord. Without him, you can do nothing." Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti of Recife, Brazil, who was removed by his own archbishop for siding with American conservatives, told the audience that they were "my partners in martyrdom." Comparing the leaders of the Episcopal Church USA with those guarding the tomb of Jesus after the resurrection, he said that, "In the deep of their souls, they are afraid, they are shaking. They know that spiritually, they are like dead men." "Don't be afraid of your bishop," Cavalanti told the more than 2,000 people crowded into the hall. "Don't be afraid of losing your jobs, of losing your salaries. Many times the law of men needs to be broken so the law of God is obeyed." While encouraging those in the convention hall, the primates also intensified their warnings about the possibility of a schism in the Anglican Communion if the Episcopal Church USA did not renounce the consecration of gay bishops and the blessing of same-sex unions. "There's no way for these two conflicted faiths to live under the same roof," Duncan said. Echoing Duncan's and warnings from other Episcopal and Anglican conservatives, the primates said a break was all but inevitable if the denomination did not vote to change course at the General Convention next year in Columbus, Ohio. They also warned that even the 2008 Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops in Canterbury might be affected. Archbishop Drexel W. Gomez of the Diocese of the West Indies said the American church is teaching a "new gospel" that is unclear about God's nature and affirms cultural values, even when they run counter to historic Christianity. "The primates will decide" if they consider the response of the Episcopal Church "adequate," he said. Gomez added, however, that he expected no change in the stance of the Episcopal Church when it comes to gays. "It will be up to us to try to sort out the mess," he said. "Given our present mood, the convention will most certainly be followed by some action. We have worked too hard, too long, to leave it like that." "Anglicanism is really now in a state of flux. ... We are being forced into this by people who are teaching something new and something totally different," he said. Chung said that, "if the Episcopal Church does not repent and follow what the primates have asked ... I think many of the [conservative archbishops] will have to assess their own position whether Lambeth 2008 is a place we want to be."

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