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From Christian Times-
A senior leader of the African Anglican community urged members to denounce their Western counterpart's acceptance of gay marriages and to stick to what the Bible teaches.
Dr. Josiah Idowu-Fearon, the secretary general of the Anglican Communion, addressed the members of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) during their meeting in Rwanda to the uphold their conservative values based on the teachings of the Bible and to reject the forward steps by the Anglican churches in the West.
Idowu-Fearon condemned the Western churches for openly accepting gay marriages.
"We will never allow our churches to be taken over by views and programmes which suggest that the Bible is wrong," said Idowu-Fearon, according to the Anglican Communion News Service (ACNS).
More here-
http://www.christiantimes.com/article/african-anglican-churches-urged-not-to-follow-western-progressives-in-acceptance-of-gay-marriages/60965.htm
From Eurasia Review-
Anglican leaders from across Africa on 8 February made an emotional plea to Muslim faith leaders to stand with them in opposition to the “tragic violence that is destroying our communities.”The appeal was issued at the end of a three-day meeting in Burundi of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) where Christian-Muslim conflict was high on the agenda, according to the Anglican Communion News Service.A statement from the council said it “has noted with much sadness the increasing deterioration between Muslim and Christian communities in different parts of the world, specifically our Provinces of Sudan, Nigeria, and the Diocese of Egypt.“Coming from communities diverse in religion and culture, the present circumstances have forced us to ask whether the violence we see and experience is driven by religious intolerance from our brothers of different religions with whom we have lived together for generations, in some cases centuries, or whether in fact it is a result of a much greater problem of exploitation of ignorance and religious beliefs for political gain.More here-
http://www.eurasiareview.com/13022012-african-anglicans-appeal-for-inter-faith-peace/
From All Africa-
Anglican leaders from across the continent of Africa have made an emotional appeal to Muslim faith leaders to stand with them in opposition to "tragic violence that is destroying our communities".The appeal was issued at the end of a three-day meeting of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa in Burundi where conflict between the two faiths was high on the agenda.The statement read: "The Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa...has noted with much sadness the increasing deterioration between Muslim and Christian communities in different parts of the world, specifically our Provinces of Sudan, Nigeria, and the Diocese of Egypt."As a council, coming from communities diverse in religion and culture, the present circumstances have forced us to ask whether the violence we see and experience is driven by religious intolerance from our brothers of different religions with whom we have lived together for generations, in some cases centuries, or whether in fact it is a result of a much greater problem of exploitation of ignorance and religious beliefs for political gain.More here-
http://allafrica.com/stories/201202090828.html
From AllAfrica-
The programme for the first day of business began with devotions at which the Archbishop of Burundi, the Most Rev. Bernard Ntahoturi shared the 'double vision' of Jesus in relationship to the apostle Peter - 'Jesus looked at him and said... you will be'. As Jesus saw Peter's potential and value so we should, as followers of Jesus see the possibilities for transformation and the gifts in others.Welcome remarks were received. The Bishop of Bujumbura, the Rt. Rev. Pie Ntukamazina extended an invitation to delegates to visit the Anglican Church of Burundi and strengthen unity through south to south partnership. The Archbishop, the Most Rev. Bernard Ntahoturi reiterated his welcome and particularly thanked the Primates for their prayers, support and the refuge given by neighbours to Burundian refugees during the conflict.The Most Rev. Ian Ernest, Chair of CAPA among his opening remarks said "CAPA remains to be a facilitator and a powerful instrument that our provinces and dioceses may use to enhance the quality of their ministry. We all need each other." He looked forward to the Council as it sought to implement the resolutions that came out of the All African Bishops' Conference held in Entebbe, in August 2010. The challenge remains to empower and equip the Church as it seeks to address the needs and concerns of Africa.Delegations from Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, DR Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Central Africa, the diocese of Egypt, Tanzania, West Africa, South Africa, Indian Ocean, were introduced and brought news and greetings from their respective Provinces.More here-
http://allafrica.com/stories/201202080166.html
From ACNS-
The Anglican Alliance’s inaugural assembly ended in Nairobi with a consensus on the way forward in development, advocacy and relief.The key development priorities proposed by the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) and agreed by the assembly were:Economic empowerment, with support for micro-finance, including working on a roadmap towards an Anglican bank. (The conference heard powerful presentations on micro-finance from Peterson Kamau of Five Talents, the church’s micro-finance institution, and Moses Ochieng of the CGAP consortium of donors and development agencies.)Peace and reconciliation, learning from the experience of the church in countries affected by conflict.GovernanceThe conference included participants from African provinces, South America, the Caribbean, South and South East Asia, the Pacific, Canada and Australia. Included among these were representatives from the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund and AngliCORD. They provided valuable guidance and insights on the role of church-based development agencies.In inspirational presentations on Friday morning, participants from Haiti, Pakistan and Kenya described how the church had responded to disaster emergencies in the countries. Their messages and experience guided discussions on a strategy for a communion-wide response to disasters. The strategy will be considered at a future regional consultation.More here-
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2011/4/16/ACNS4850
From ACNS-
Delegates from throughout Africa and from all other regions of the world opened the first consultative conference for the Anglican Alliance in Nairobi yesterday (Monday 11 April)Co-hosting the consultation five-day conference with the Alliance, the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) set out its blueprint for organisation of the church, and its strategy for development, focusing especially on economic empowerment, education and HIV and Aids.For south east Asia, Ms Elijah Fung from St Johns Cathedral of Hong Kong, set out the development of her region, and her own work on HIV and Aids, focussing especially on services for migrant workers.Fr Alejandro Manzoni of Promocion Humana, the Anglican development agency in Uruguay spoke of the need to get some regional co-ordination to meet the challenges of the region, which were around exploitation of the environment, and increasing inequalities, despite the economic growth.His regional colleague Cole Frantz from Haiti described some of the natural disasters which had beset Haiti, culminating in the earthquake. He will be making a presentation on the recovery from the earthquake at a session on emergency relief on Friday. And George Kiriau, from the Solomon Islands, said in his region of the Pacific, the challenge facing small island states was above all to tackle climate change and prevent the wholesale loss of islands to rising sea levels. The Alliance provides the small islands with new hope to tackle some of their major problems resulting from climate change.Presenting the work of two Anglican development agencies were Alison Taylor of AngliCORD, from Australia, and Adele Finney of the Primates World Relief and Development Fund in Canada.More here-
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2011/4/12/ACNS4845
From The Church Times-
AFRICANS must take their destiny into their own hands and address their own problems, bishops of the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA) declared at the end of their week-long conference about effective leadership for sustainable development (News, 27 August).The world must listen to the Churches’ unique voice, they say, in the first of two communiqués. One deals with the continent’s ills; the other, from the CAPA Primates, addresses the internal affairs of the Anglican Communion.This second document, with its ringing endorsement of the conservative Anglican Church of North America (ACNA), provoked a strong reaction from the provinces of Central Africa and of Southern Africa, which said that the majority of the provinces at the conference were being “ambushed”.The 400 bishops, meeting in Entebbe, Uganda, acknowledged in their communiqué that, while “the centre of gravity of Christianity today appears to be shifting” to Africa, “the Church’s relevance and impact on global mission and to social, economic and political trans formation of the continent remains a challenge.”They said: “The Anglican Church in Africa must join the global movement that refuses to stay silent about the current socio-economic and political state of affairs. We should stop agonising over the deplorable state of African under development and start organising towards a proactive, practical engagement with good governance and infra-structural development.”More here-
http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=99857
From Life Site News-
The same day, 27th, was the closing day of a one-week conference in Entebbe, Uganda's old capital on the shoes of Lake Victoria, attended by 400 bishops of the Anglican Church throughout Africa, the Indian Ocean, Singapore and south-east Asia.The Anglican primate, Rowan Williams, was present, which brought the issues of homosexuals, and women prelates, to the fore, ahead of a host of social problems ailing Africa. Archbishop Williams was under courteous and brotherly but persistent attack from the other delegates for his "gay" stand.Uganda's Anglican head, Archbishop Luke Orombi, compared Williams's situation to the father of a house with stubborn kids (gays) who would not allow him to sit down peacefully and eat. "Homosexuality is evil, abnormal and unnatural, as per the Bible," he said, "It is a culturally unacceptable practice, and although there is a lot of pressure, we cannot turn our hands to support it."The Nigerian Anglican archbishop said it was a matter which takes precedence - an alien culture or biblical teachings? The provincial head of the church in the Indian Ocean said they could not afford to keep lurching from one crisis to the next; action has been taken to irrevocably shatter the Anglican Communion -which will have financial implications for the church in developing countries; and its existing structures have been unable to address the need for discipline.The provincial heads said they were under attack by an imposed interpretation of Scripture and a foreign culture that has hindered the growth of an authentic church which could respond to the people.More here-
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/aug/10083108.html
From Christian Post-
Conservative bishops in Africa issued a communiqué on Sunday, expressing concern over "progressive developments" in the West and committing themselves to tackling the social ills of their continent.The statement came at the conclusion of a weeklong conference in Uganda, where bishops from more than 400 dioceses met to discuss the crises they face within the church and outside the church.The bishops agreed in their communiqué that "in order to keep the ethos and tradition of the Anglican Communion in a credible way, it is obligatory" of all provinces in the global Anglican Communion to continue to observe and honor the moratoria on the ordination of partnered homosexuals, the blessing of same-sex unions, and cross-border interventions.As previously expressed, the conservative bishops said they were "very saddened" with the recent action of The Episcopal Church in the United States to consecrate a partnered lesbian in Los Angeles. The Rev. Mary Glasspool was the second openly homosexual bishop to be consecrated in the U.S. body despite calls for restraint by the wider Communion.Two Anglican provinces were sympathetic to the hurt and anger felt by most of the bishops in Africa. But they urged against severing ties with The Episcopal Church.More here-
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100830/anglican-bishops-in-africa-issue-communique/
From ACNS
Four hundred bishops from Africa announced today that 'business as usual' was no longer an option for the Anglican Church there and that Africans should "take their destiny into their own hands".On the sixth and final day of the All Africa Bishops Conference in Uganda, the bishops issued a communiqué filled with commitments contesting the status quo in areas including politics, poverty reduction, violence against women, theological education and conflict.The five-page statement was a clear challenge from the Anglican bishops of Africa to the Church, the continent and the rest of the Anglican Communion, and it pulled few punches: "While we will always be prepared to listen to voices from other parts of the global Communion, it is pertinent that the rest of the world listens to the unique voice of the Church in Africa," wrote the bishops."The Anglican Church in Africa has continued to witness growth so that the centre of gravity of Christianity today appears to be shifting to the continent. Nonetheless, the Church's relevance and impact on global mission and to social, economic and political transformation of the continent remains a challenge."It was to these last items that most of the document's 'commitment' statements referred. The Church, the bishops said, needs to address the causes and effects of poverty and injustice on the people of Africa."We must be actively involved in working with partners at all levels to ensure equal access to medical care, food security and the promoting of good health practices to prevent the major causes of death on the continent, with particular attention to primary health care for African families, especially mothers, children and the elderly.More here-
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2010/8/29/ACNS4728
From Thinking Anglicans-
In a 27th August letter to Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi, Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, the Most Rev. Ian Earnest, Chairman of CAPA (Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa), apologized for “embarrassing” the Church of Uganda when CAPA received a $25,000 grant from Trinity Grants (USA) for the All Africa Bishops Conference taking place in Uganda. (Letter is attached.)In 2003, the Church of Uganda broke communion with the Episcopal Church (TEC) over their unbiblical theology and immoral actions that violated historic and Biblical Anglicanism and tore the fabric of the Communion at its deepest level. At the same time, the Church of Uganda resolved to not receive any funds from TEC.The 2nd All Africa Bishops Conference was hosted by the Church of Uganda, but the programme and speakers were chosen by CAPA. The Church of Uganda received no outside funding for its role in hosting the 400 Bishops and other participants in the week-long conference. All funds were raised locally within Uganda.Archbishop Henry thanked Archbishop Ian for acknowledging the awkward position CAPA had put the Church of Uganda in and appreciated his humility and generous spirit in writing.More here-
http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/archives/004592.html
From ELO-
The All Africa Bishops Conference comes at a "significant moment ... with Anglican churches in Africa putting development issues at the top of their agenda," Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said Aug. 26 after he returned from a three-day visit to Uganda.More than 400 Anglican bishops from Africa are being joined by international partners, diplomats and representatives from relief and development organizations for the Aug. 23-29 conference in Entebbe, Uganda, to focus on issues of conflict, poverty, corruption, disease, and effective leadership for sustainable development.Williams said that the bishops' desire to make development issues a priority "has been welcomed by other churches and politicians in the region and internationally, as they recognize that the African church has the willingness and the skills to make them best placed to set their development agenda. Their challenge will be in finding the imaginative opportunities for unlocking this potential."Convened by the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa, the conference theme is "Securing the Future: Unlocking our Potential," based on the biblical text from Hebrews 12:1-2."I valued opportunities to hear from bishops ministering in the heart of conflict situations in countries such as Sudan, DR Congo, Nigeria and Zimbabwe, and learned much from presentations on the serious threats to the well-being of women and children, as well as the potential of the church to respond to these issues."More here-
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_124224_ENG_HTM.htm
From New Vision (Africa)
ABOUT 400 African bishops begin a seven-day meeting in Entebbe today for the second All Africa Bishops Conference. The theme of the conference, organised by the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA), is “Securing the future, unlocking our potential”.President Yoweri Museveni will officially open the conference tomorrow.The conference takes place at Imperial Resort Beach Hotel. Yesterday, the lobby of the hotel was a beehive of activity, as delegations of clergy from Burundi, Central Africa, Congo, Egypt, Indian Ocean islands, and Kenya checked in for registration.Others from Nigeria, Rwanda, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Togo, Comoros and West Saharawi arrived.More delegations were still streaming in by press time.The hotel was fully booked, forcing other delegations to book into nearby hotels.Prayers, the Holy Eucharist and Bible study sessions will be held every morning from the conference hall.The CAPA general secretary, the Rev. Canon Grace Kaiso, said Uganda was chosen by vote as the venue for the conference by the standing organising committee on the sidelines of the first conference that sat in 2004 in Abuja in Nigeria.“It is interesting that we are having the second African bishops conference in Uganda just after the African Union summit. Those of us who believe in God think this is a message in terms of the privileged place Uganda occupies on the continent,” he said.More here-
http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/729687
From Uganda-
Your Grace, The Most Rev Luke Orombi, I have chosen to publicly address this communication to you as the Honourable Host to the 400 African Anglican bishops who are coming to Uganda this week. We are informed the purpose of their coming here is to discuss a host of issues affecting the continent. Among the issues are poverty, diseases, matters of justice and peace, wars, ethnic cleansing, genocide; and the relationship between the Church and the State. This is a tall agenda.According to Amanda Onapito, the public relations officer of the Province of the Church of Uganda, “It is time believers combined their efforts to find solutions to problems that affect Africa.” I am hopeful of all attempts to do so.It is precisely in this spirit that I am taking this opportunity to write to you and to your guests. As I spent almost 30 years of my life serving the Church of Uganda, I feel that my experience and commitment to the Church allows me to respectfully make some comments and proposals. I cannot help but notice that our church leaders on the continent delight in attending conferences where lofty statements, declarations, and resolutions are made.In my life of 82 years, I have attended many of these church meetings.Good intention compels church leaders to meet and talk – but then nothing tends really to follow thereafter. For instance, 36 years ago, Church leaders and their representatives—about 500 persons met in Lusaka, Zambia, and after several days of deliberations, issued a statement which called for action. I quote to avoid misinterpretation:...More here-
http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/20/729647
From ELO-
More than 400 Anglican bishops from Africa are being joined by international partners, diplomats and representatives from relief and development organizations for a weeklong gathering in Entebbe, Uganda, to focus on issues of conflict, poverty, corruption and disease on the continent.Uganda President Yoweri Museveni is scheduled to address the All Africa Bishops Conference on Aug. 25 and Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams will be the guest preacher at the opening Eucharist on Aug. 24. Williams' attendance at the gathering marks the first time he has visited Uganda since he became archbishop of Canterbury in 2002.The gathering brings together bishops from the 12 Anglican provinces in Africa -- Burundi, Central Africa, Congo, Indian Ocean, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and West Africa -- as well as the Diocese of Egypt.Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori sent a greeting to the gathering, which is sponsored by the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) and whose theme is "Securing the Future: Unlocking our Potential," based on the biblical text from Hebrews 12:1-2."The Episcopal Church holds you in prayer as you gather as the Anglican provinces of Africa," said Jefferts Schori in her letter. "May you be equipped for the challenges of building the reign of God ... casting aside the burdens of colonial histories and the current political realities. May your ministries be a blessing to a hungry world."The Rev. Canon Petero Sabune is among the attendees from the U.S.-based Episcopal Church, which has longstanding partnerships with most of the Anglican provinces in Africa. Sabune, the Episcopal Church's Africa partnerships officer, told ENS that Jefferts Schori's message sums up why he is attending the conference.More here-
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_124157_ENG_HTM.htm
From Christian Times-
