Southern bishops deplore racist abuse at Sewanee

BISHOPS of the 28 southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church in the United States which own and govern the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, have condemned racist abuse shouted during a men’s lacrosse game last week. They write in a statement: “We in no uncertain terms condemn the harassment of the Vice Chancellor of the University last month by, as of now, unknown vandals and the more recent racial epithets hurled at scholar athletes from a visiting college by young people in the crowd during a lacrosse game. We hope and pray those engaging in such despicable behaviour are not students at the University. In our minds, any racist behavior is intolerable, does not represent the virtues of our faith, and we denounce it emphatically.” In a letter to students, the Vice-Chancellor, Reuben Brigety, called the incident “inexcusable”.

Province of Mozambique and Angola proposed

THE Anglican Communion’s Standing Committee is exploring proposals for a new Province: Igreja Anglicana de Moçambique e Angola (IAMA), or the Anglican Church of Mozambique and Angola. The Committee agreed, during a video call last month, to establish a sub-committee, with the support of the Archbishop of Canterbury, to see how this might be achieved. In Mozambique, the three existing dioceses would be reorganised to create five new missionary dioceses of Maciene, Inhambane, Pungue, Zambezia, and Tete, in addition to smaller dioceses with the current names of Lebombo, Niassa, and Nampula. Two-thirds of the Primates would have to agree before the Province could be created. The Province of Alexandria, serving ten countries across North Africa and the Horn of Africa, was added as the Communion’s 41st Province last year (News, 17 January 2020).

Turkey withdraws from Istanbul Convention

THE decision by Turkey to withdraw from the Council of Europe Istanbul Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence is “a deeply concerning setback”, the Bishop in Europe, Dr Robert Innes, has said. The Council of Europe’s secretary general, Marija Pejčinović Burić, described it as “devastating news”. In a letter to the Council and the EU, Dr Innes pledged to continue campaigning “for the ratification of the Convention by all Member States of the Council of Europe, and to support EU and Council of Europe policies and programmes that will prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence, and promote Gender Justice. I will likewise continue to work with my fellow bishops in the Church of England in their ongoing efforts in the UK Parliament to press the UK Government to ratify the Istanbul Convention.”