aTypical Joe: a gay New Yorker living in the rural South

Saturday, May 05, 2007

Anglican to Akinola: don’t come. Akinola already here.

The NYTimes, Anglican Church Intercedes as an Episcopal Rift Widens:

The archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, has waded into a gathering dispute over efforts by conservative congregations in this country to break away from the Episcopal Church.

On Saturday, the archbishop of Nigeria, Peter J. Akinola, is scheduled to preside over a ceremony in Virginia to install a bishop to lead congregations around the country that want to leave the Episcopal Church, in large part because of its liberal stance on homosexuality.

The archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has asked Archbishop Akinola to cancel his visit, a spokesman said.

That echoes the request of Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, the American branch of Anglicanism. She contends that by attending the ceremony, Archbishop Akinola would heighten tensions between the Episcopal Church and many in the 77-million-member Anglican Communion.

But according to organizers of the installation ceremony, Archbishop Akinola is already in the United States.

You’ll recall the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori, wrote a letter urging Akinola not to come.

Akinola’s response, “...the Church of Nigeria will be the first to restore communion on the day that your Province abandons its current unbiblical agenda. Until then we have no other choice than to offer our assistance and oversight to our people and all those who will not compromise...”

RELATED: Episcopal Bishop of Washington John Bryson Chane on Akinola’s gospel of intolerance.

LATER: The deed is done:

The Anglican archbishop of Nigeria, Peter J. Akinola, on Saturday installed Bishop Martyn Minns of Virginia as the new leader of a diocese that would take in congregations around the country that want to leave the Episcopal Church. In doing so, Archbishop Akinola rejected requests by leaders of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church to refrain from taking part in the ceremony.