Bishop Anthony Poggo, the Anglican Communion’s secretary general, responded to GAFCON’s October 16 about launching a Global Anglican Communion with a calm and gracious pastoral letter. He urged deeper engagement with the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals, which seek to maintain the greatest degree of communion possible among Anglicans at a time of deep disagreement.
Poggo also spoke charitably of GAFCON’s witness as a “reform and renewal movement,” while indirectly suggesting that its announcement may have been issued in haste, without widespread consultation. He urged GAFCON’s leaders to reconsider the refusal to participate in the Instruments of Communion that Archbishop Laurent Mbanda’s announcement makes central to membership in the new Global Anglican Communion.
In his “brief word of encouragement,” Poggo said that “divisions among Anglicans, and many other divisions in the Body of Christ, are sadly well known, as we see in the Scriptures (1 Cor. 11:17). These divisions require urgent attention and repair, by means of every instrument available to us.”
“The Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO) has invited all member churches of the Communion to consider and respond to The Nairobi-Cairo Proposals. I share the hope of the commission that all Anglicans, and the whole Church of God, may still seek and find agreement in the Faith. I also agree that we must summon up patience and love when members of the Body need to walk at a distance from one another in order better to seek and serve the truth and unity of our shared vocation (1 Cor. 11:19).
“Theological uniformity cannot be demanded or expected without the hard work of discernment over time. Doctrinal, geographical, or regional groupings of churches (for example GSFA, CCEA, GAFCON, and others) can help us reform and renew our life together,” he added.
Poggo mentioned two organizations whose membership has some overlap with GAFCON’s: the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans, a ministry focused on ecclesiology and orthodox teaching; and the Council of Churches in East Asia, a regional group focused on mission that comprises Anglican provinces and dioceses in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan.
Poggo also laid out a vision for synodical, collaborative governance as a central feature of Anglican church life, writing that “all Anglican churches are ordered by canon law, constitutions, and synodical structures that provide a collaborative system of governance by bishops, other clergy, and lay persons. In this way, the ‘houses’ of Anglican synods determine matters of doctrine, discipline, and order, and make decisions for the good of the whole.”
He added: “All Anglican churches are likewise invited to shape the Instruments of Communion, which rightly evolve over time, as those gathered seek to discern what the Spirit is saying to the churches. I urge them to send their representatives to the 19th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council next year in Belfast, so everyone can participate in the decision-making. Those who are present are the ones who shape the outcomes and resolutions of meetings.”
Covenant, TLC’s online journal, published extensive essays on the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals earlier this year. They can be found here.
The Rev. Mark Michael is editor-in-chief of The Living Church. An Episcopal priest, he has reported widely on global Anglicanism, and also writes about church history, liturgy, and pastoral ministry.
