The Anglican Church of Canada has established a self-determining Indigenous church within its own polity, and elevated National Indigenous Anglican Bishop Mark MacDonald to archbishop and metropolitan.
The resolution passed by General Synod on July 12 will allow the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples (ACIP) to make changes in matters that affect them without requiring a canonical change by General Synod. This will put “matters such as the composition of ACIP, the composition of Sacred Circle and the ability of ACIP to create and change a constitution in the hands of Indigenous ministries,” reported the Anglican Journal.
The measure required a two-thirds supermajority in each of the three orders. It received approval by 98.2% of the laity, 98.8% of the clergy, and 100% of the bishops.
A similar self-determining indigenous church has existed for more than 30 years in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. Kito Pikaahu, the Maori bishop of Te Tai Tokerau in that province, addressed the General Synod in support of the pending vote.
