THE disaffiliated diocese of South Carolina has joined the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, and entered into a formal ecclesiastical relationship known as "provisional primatial oversight" with bishops in the Global South.

The move was unanimously accepted at the diocese's annual convention earlier this month.

Bishop Mark Lawrence (above), who led the split from the Episcopal Church in 2012 ( News, 19 October 2012), told delegates: "There's an African proverb that wisely states 'If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.'

"This will give us gracious oversight from one of the largest ecclesial entities within the Communion - one which includes Anglicans from a diverse body of believers from South-East Asia, the Middle East, Africa, South America, the Indian Ocean, and many, many others."

The separation of Bishop Lawrence and the majority of the parishes in 2012 left the diocese without a formal connection to the see of Canterbury. Accepting oversight from the Global South Primates allows the diocese to remain in communion with global Anglicans outside the Episcopal Church.

The parishes in South Carolina which remain in the Episcopal Church have gathered under the name The Episcopal Church in South Carolina. Legal disputes over the rights to the diocesan name, marks, and property are ongoing.