I have been following for some time the strange and difficult goings on in the Province of Central Africa, where there is an attempt by the Bishop of Harare to remove the Diocese from the Province. There were several reports from the secular press that the Bishop was indeed pulling out. While the Province insisted that that was not the case it is only now realizing that indeed Bishop Kunonga has gone round the bend and needs to leave.
The Province, under the administration of the Primate, Archbishop Malango, does not exactly come up smelling like roses. The Primate has previously intervened in a trial against Kunonga halting the proceedings. The Primate effectively sacked Bishop Mwamba as Dean of the Province. The Primate led the effort to nullify the election of a bishop for Lake Malawi whose relationship to pro-gay groups was found disturbing.
Episcopal News Service reports:
"In a statement, Chama (the provincial dean) said that Harare Bishop Nolbert Kunonga and Manicaland Bishop Elson Jakazi and some of their supporters had written to then-Archbishop B. A. Malango in late September to tell him of their decision.
"In our response to these letters we advised them that it was impossible for them to withdraw the Dioceses of Harare and Manicaland from the Church of the Province of Central Africa," Chama said in his statement, "because a diocese in accordance with the Constitution of the Church of the Province of Central Africa forms an integral part of the Church of the Province of Central Africa, and therefore any act purporting to withdraw a diocese is unconstitutional and uncanonical as this would alter the very structure and constitution of the Province."
Well, at least The Episcopal Church and the Province of Central Africa agree on something.
*bluster coming on* Oh, but, but, but, these are completely different. Central Africa is perfectly within its rights to recover its property. TEC, on the other hand, totally violates all sense of Christian good will and charity when it does the same. This should be obvious to any proper Bible-believing Christian. *bluster over*
ReplyDeleteSeriously, though, it's interesting (but not surprising) that the conservative blogs haven't really addressed this tidbit.