THE Church of the Province of Uganda has insisted it is not seceding from the Anglican Communion. The suggestion came after the province’s formal announcement last week that its bishops would not be attending this summer’s Lambeth Conference.
Speaking on Tuesday, the provincial secretary, Canon Aaron Mweisgye, said that some press stories had been misleading, and had wrongly stated the diocese’s position. “The plain fact is that we are simply not attending the Lambeth Conference in July 2008, but we are still very much a part of the Anglican Communion.”
Last week, the Ugandan Church gave as its reason for boycotting the Lambeth Conference the involvement of the Episcopal Church in the United States. Canon Mweisgye said that there was also a big issue over the cost of attending the three-week event, which, he suggested, had no authority in practice.
In 2003, the Ugandan Church broke communion with the Episcopal Church in the US after it elected and consecrated the Rt Revd Gene Robinson, who lives openly in a same-sex relationship.
Earlier this month, bishops from Sydney in Australia and the Church of Nigeria announced that they would not be attending Lambeth, as had the Province of Rwanda (News, 8 February). Other African leaders have hinted that individual bishops from these areas may still attend.
Canon Mweisgye said that the Episcopal Church in the US was the one that had, in effect, seceded from the Anglican Communion. “They have departed dramatically from the historic faith, teaching, and practice of the Bible and the Anglican Church.”
Canon Mweisgye said that other Churches would be following suit, and that some had done so already. He said that he believed that Kenyan leaders would not attend, although no official announcement has been made.
The Archbishop of York, Dr Sentamu, was in Kenya last week to offer support to the Church and people during the current crisis (News, 15 February). His spokesman said on Tuesday that Dr Sentamu’s schedule, including visiting refugee camps around the country and public speaking engagements, meant that talking about the Lambeth Conference with the Kenyan Primate had not been a priority.
John Martin, a spokesman for the Church Mission Society, which works closely with the Anglican Church in both Kenya and Uganda, said on Tuesday that he was not surprised about Uganda’s decision.
“People tend to forget about the Ugandan Christian martyrs in the 19th century, whose deaths were linked with refusing to carry out homosexual acts for the King. This is a big issue for the Church, and it is important to understand the mindset of different countries.
“On a positive note, I can also see why African countries would want to come to Lambeth. They are one of the fastest-growing parts of the Anglican Church, so they want to be involved.”
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