Archbishop Julio Murray has been elected as the Americas regional primate on the Anglican Communion’s Primates’ Standing Committee and the Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC). Archbishop Murray is primate of the Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de Americas (the Anglican Church in the Central America Region).
Presiding Bishop Greg Venables, primate of the Anglican Church of South America, was elected as his deputy. The primates elected their colleagues during a regional Primates’ Meeting of the Anglican Church in the Americas and Caribbean in Toronto.
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry of the Episcopal Church asked that he not be considered for the vacancy, saying that his election to the Standing Committee might cause “consternation in parts of the Communion.” In January 2016 the primates of the Anglican Communion had asked that representatives of the Episcopal Church be excluded from certain decision-making posts within the Communion as a consequence of its decision to celebrate same-sex marriages.
Archbishop Frederick Hiltz of Canada, whose province is considering same-sex marriage, also asked that he not be considered.
The Standing Committee includes five primates elected to represent regions of the Anglican Communion. Current regional primates are Archbishop Philip Freier of Australia, representing Oceania; Archbishop Richard Clarke of Ireland, representing Europe; and Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Southern Africa, representing Africa. The representative for Asia will be elected next year.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is president of the Standing Committee. Other members are elected by the Anglican Consultative Council. They include Archbishop Paul Kwong of Hong Kong, chairman of the ACC, and Canon Maggie Swinson from the Church of England, vice chairwoman.
Adapted from ACNS
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.
