The Rev. Jesse Zink, who has written for The Living Church, wrote this for Religion Dispatches in June:
The World Council of Churches is headquartered in Geneva, even though there are probably more Christians in a neighborhood of Lagos or Nairobi than all of Switzerland.
It is in this context that the attention of the Anglican Communion has again turned to Canterbury. The bishop’s chair there will soon be vacant, even as Rowan Williams takes full advantage of the months preceding his December retirement. And while speculation as to his successor runs hot, most observers place their bets on current occupants of English sees. That would be a mistake. As the Anglican Communion continues its growth in the non-Western world, I believe its nominal leader must reflect that change: it is time for an African Archbishop of Canterbury.
Fr. Zink adds in a comment at Episcopal Café:
I stand by that argument and think that it is even more pertinent now that the CNC appears to be deadlocked.
The current pattern of appointing a grey-haired or no-haired white man as ABC doesn’t seem to have yielded much in the way of fruitful results. I think it’s time to build serious online momentum for a Thabo Makgoba candidacy.
Hat tip: The Rev. Canon Mark Harris at Preludium.
Photo: African bishops and their spouses at Lambeth Palace during the Lambeth 2008 conference. Scott Gunn/Flickr
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
