Continuing Anglican jurisdictions Announce Formal Accord
The following is an interjurisdictional letter of support issued by four head bishops of the Continuing Anglican Churches.
We the undersigned bishops of the Continuing Anglican churches, as indicated below, pledge to work cooperatively, in a spirit of brotherly love and affection, to create a sacramental union and commonality of purpose that is pleasing to God and in accord with godly service to our respective jurisdictions.
Additionally, we will endeavor to hold in concert our national and provincial synods in 2017. Our goal for this meeting will be to formalize a relationship of communio in sacris.
During the intervening period, we will work in full accord toward that end. We will seek ways to cooperate with each other, supporting each others' jurisdictions and communicating on a variety of ecclesiastical matters. We will maintain regular monthly communication by teleconference.
The Most Reverend Walter Grundorf, The Anglican Province of America
The Most Reverend Mark Haverland, The Anglican Catholic Church
The Right Reverend Paul C. Hewett, The Diocese of the Holy Cross
The Most Reverend Brian R. Marsh, The Anglican Church in America
5 comments:
This is indeed joyous news, which brings us closer to being one as we should be.
By the fact that only one of the St. Louis churches has signed onto this, although APA, ACA & DHC all have various roots in St. Louis, I do hope that this eventually leads towards including the UECNA & APCK also. I would also hope that it does not disrupt any previous relationships between the ACC and the APCK or UECNA.
I am also interested in how this will effect any existing relationships that any of the signers have with groups like TAC or the (new) ACNA.
I share both the joy and questions of the preceding comment. As we approach 40 years since the Affirmation of St. Louis, it is time for continuing Anglicans to get our act together before we fade away. Our Lord has promised that the apostolic faith and the universal church will survive, but a truly catholic and evangelical expression of Anglicanism is something that we must continue to pray and work for. Without compromising basic theological and moral standards, we are called to preserve and promote the best of the catholic and orthodox Anglican tradition. May our bishops and others have the grace, the strength, and the wisdom to pursue and to achieve a godly unity!
The formal accords of the ACC with both the UECNA and the APCK still stand. Regarding the latter, however, expect no action whatsoever to be taken on their part toward unity until there is a new archbishop.
...i.e., until the APCK has a new archbishop.
Presumably, if the ACC were to be in an intercommunion with any of these groups at the same time it was in intercommunion with APCK & UECNA, it would be hard for those two to remain outside of intercommunion for very long. However with DHC & APA having some level of involvement with the (new) ACNA, it creates a roadblock not only for APCK & UECNA but notably for ACC, in that that neoAnglican body does not believe much of what separates the St. Louis churches from the wider Anglican Communion.
I for one hope that we will see a unified continuum one day, this accord brings it so much closer to happening in my lifetime. To some extent what I find the most important of this is the involvement of the ACA & APA which have roots not just in St. Louis but specifically in the ACC, so this really is the healing of old wounds.
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