Waiting in Vain

It's been a week since the ordination of four men in Virginia to the episcopate by the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), with Archbishop Peter Akinola presiding. There was a good bit of coverage by secular media, by the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, by the American Anglican Council, by BabyBlue, Titus 1:9, Stand Firm, and commentary by several progressive blogs. It was even covered by the Anglican Global South webpages.

But there has been nothing on the Church of Nigeria web site. I go to that site fairly regularly on the off chance that that site will post something interesting. So all week I have been looking for any sort of comment regarding these ordinations. The ordinations were after all newsworthy events. They represented a considerably more blatant form of incursion than ordinations IN Nigeria FOR America. Now the ordinations were IN America FOR America, and at least two of the ordaining bishops were CANA bishops already: Minns and Bena. That the Archbishop of Nigeria was the chief consecrator was of great importance, as was the presence and engagement of the Moderator of the Anglican Communion Network, who took care to give due homage to the Archbishop of Nigeria. That homage was due because the American bishops who met with the Global South Steering Committee last year pledged to work together with Bishop Duncan as their spokesperson and take guidance from the Global South Steering Committee, with Archbishop Akinola the Chair.

So there are all sorts of good reasons for the Church of Nigeria website to carry the news of the ordinations. Granted the Anglican Global South web pages took note, but with no commentary. Perhaps they were waiting for the Archbishop to make some comment? Well, so far there has been none.

Why doesn't the Church of Nigeria have any notice of the event? Surely they are still proud of their efforts to "rescue" American Anglicans from the awful Episcopal Church? Surely they are not beginning to suspect that CANA is about to be its own American brand of church, unbound by the Church of Nigeria on matters of prayer book and the ordination of women, that in spite of the oaths required of the bishops?

So far we wait in vain for the Church of Nigeria's read on the Virginia ordinations. That's OK. Waiting is one of those things whose perfection is in the practice itself.