ANGLICAN-INFORMATION

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION
‘Proud to be a voice for the voiceless in Central Africa’

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Breaking news and comments:

MALAWI
The Diocese of Northern Malawi Following the resignation of Bishop Christopher Boyle and his moving to the Diocese of Leicester, U.K. New elections for a replacement are to be held on Saturday 1st August. It is hoped that they will be less controversial than the recent election in the Diocese of Upper Shire but so far the process is off to an inauspicious start.

As reported by ANGLICAN-INFORMATION on 31st May the only candidate thus far for Northern Malawi appears to be the Rev’d Scott Wilson of All Saints Episcopal Parish, Weatherford, Texas. Wilson is currently on a tour of North Malawi parishes, however his potential election raises some difficult questions.

By his own volition Scott Wilson has placed himself and his American parish under the episcopal oversight of a diocese and a bishop recently deposed from the Episcopal Church of the United States. His current bishop and diocese are now part of the Federation of Anglican Christians in North America (A.C.N.A.) whose relationship with the see of Canterbury (a definition of Anglican status) is questionable. Most informed sources regard Fr Scott Wilson’s choice of ecclesiastical allegiance as being schismatic and out communion with Canterbury.

The Central African Province remains in full communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury and despite many problems has managed to avoid being drawn into the North American proxy infighting that has bedevilled some of the Equatorial African Provinces.

If Wilson is elected it is difficult to see how he can meet the requirements of the Central African Provincial canons, which include:
• Fundamental Declarations 1 – The Church of the Province of Central Africa [is] in full Communion with the Church of England and with the Anglican Communion.

• Articles of Constitution 5 - Requires accordance with the doctrinal teaching of the Church of England.

• Confirmation of the Election of Diocesan Bishops 3b – Requires letters commendatory or dimissory from the bishop of the candidate’s diocese and that these be found sufficient.


Diocese of Lake Malawi
Nkhota-kota Deanery
It is reported that the Rev’d Denis Kayamba, a suspended priest who has long defied diocesan authority by continuing to hold services against specific instruction not to do so, is to be tried at an Ecclesiastical Court to be presided over by the Registrar of Northern Malawi Diocese.

Kayamba was first suspended from duties by the late Bishop Peter Nyanja for ‘occasioning physical violence to the bishop’ (attempting to throttle him). His second suspension came after refusing an order to transfer parish and for distributing false information about a clergy meeting to the press.

Kayamba was also discovered in 2005 to have been the author of a fake letter attempting to discredit the then newly elected Bishop of Lake Malawi, the Rev’d Nicholas Henderson of London, U.K.. Additionally, it was on Kayamba’s word only that two people were thrown into prison without any evidence for supposedly ‘poisoning’ the late Canon Rodney Hunter, an English ex patriot priest. One of the two accused, Hunter’s loyal and faithful cook Leonard Mondoma spent 18 months in life-threatening conditions in Nkhota-kota prison before gaining bail leave thanks to the work of an Amnesty International lawyer specialising in forgotten cases of injustice.

Zimbabwe
Diocese of Harare
ANGLICAN-INFORMATION has received the following:
Subject: A Travesty of Justice
The Kunonga excommunicated priest at St.Peter's Meyrick Park, Harare, together with his wife and sister-in-law, attacked and beat the wife of the caretaker, breaking her front tooth, because she let the Bakare side (the C.P.C.A. - Church of the Central African Province) into the church. However despite indisputable evidence against the respondents the verdict of the court case was that 'respondents one, two, and three had no case to answer'. So they were discharged.

The case had gone on for nearly two months occupying some 6 mornings in the Magistrates Court. The case was held in camera because the Prosecutor on the first day had been accosted on his way home by four men who threatened that his life was at risk if he continued with the case. He did continue with it but it looks like fear produced this final verdict.

Prosper Muzambi, the Kunonga supporting ex-priest remains in the St.Peter's Rectory but at least the C.P.C.A. congregation now can worship in the church, which is packed, but at the inconvenient time of 11.30 am. (N.B. African services are usually held much earlier)

ANGLICAN-INFORMATION observes that as ever these days this is an example of mixed news from Zimbabwe. Morgan Tsvangirai the Zimbabwan Prime Minister currently touring Europe and the United States on a fund-raising trip will struggle to get aid as long as the Mugabe faction remain in effective power. At least the new Bishop of Harare has been awarded £300,000 from the Archbishop of Canterbury’s appeal which under the Rev’d Dr Chad Gandiya will be well and properly spent.


 

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ANGLICAN-INFORMATION
‘Speaking up for the people of the Anglican Central African Province '

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