ANGLICAN-INFORMATION

Upper Shire Diocese – the new Lake Malawi?

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION reports: Anglican Central African Province, Malawi - Saturday, 16th February in Malosa in the Diocese of Upper Shire (the see of the former Archbishop of the Anglican Central African Central Province, Bernard Malango) saw a hastily held election for his successor descend into farce.

The entire Upper Shire diocesan complement of clergy and lay electors voted unanimously against what was perceived to be the ‘imposed’ choice candidate of the Provincial Bishops, Canon Alinafe Kalemba, Dean of the newly inaugurated Zomba Theological College.

The diocesan electors had wanted either the Venerable David Lee, Archdeacon of Bradford or the Rev’d Steve Hart of St Michael’s Episcopal Church, New York or, as a third choice, the Rev’d Jeremy Sheehy, former Principal St Stephen’s House, Oxford. Claims are being made that the first two had been ‘contacted’ by Bishop Albert Chama, acting Dean of the Province of Central Africa to dissuade them (successfully) from standing.

The nine ‘outsider’ lay, clerical and episcopal Provincial electors specially chosen by Dean Chama, included the bishops of Central Zimbabwe, Luapula Diocese, Zambia, Eastern Zambia and Southern Malawi - one more than the Canons allow, but it is assumed that a contrivance of one acting as Provincial Secretary was used. In any case they were still unable to outvote the diocesan representatives and the election was aborted.

Unfortunately, this appears to be only the beginning of what has all the hallmarks of a Lake Malawi situation as the bishops now intend take the matter to their next episcopal conference when it is likely that they will again attempt to impose the unpopular Canon Kalemba. Already, threats are being made of civil court injunctions if the bishops proceed along this course.

One unfortunate Upper Shire priest was also yesterday suspended from duties for having courageously written to the bishops cautioning them against any unwise attempts at ‘forcing’ the election. His letter was publicly torn up and thrown at him by Bishop James Tengatenga of Southern Malawi.

What a mess – again. It is almost academic to trace the origins of this sad state of affairs in the Central African Province to the ineptitudes of the former Archbishop Bernard Malango. Nevertheless, as the leaked letter in our last issue shows, political machinations and opportunism were never far from the oversight of the Province in his time. Malango’s own arrival in Upper Shire diocese from Zambia took place under a cloud of accusations about embezzlement of Church funds in Zambia, and manipulation of the election.

In order to retrieve the Province from the brink of anarchy, it is essential that Malango’s successor be seen to be fair, even-handed, prepared to accept democratic processes and above all to listen. Instead, Dean Albert Chama has increasingly lost the trust of the people; originally of Lake Malawi and now of Upper Shire. An increasingly divisive policy of episcopal patronizing importunity has widened what is now a damaging rift between the bishops and the people and their clergy. It is difficult to see in the circumstances how Albert Chama’s own position can remain tenable for very much longer.

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