| Part two: ANGLICAN-INFORMATION again carries an open letter from the people of the Diocese of Lake Malawi - Following the appeal to the Archbishop of Canterbury the House of Laity, Diocese of Lake Malawi have published the letter copied below to the acting Dean, Bishop Albert Chama of Northern Zambia, explaining the failings of the Lake Malawi Diocesan Synod Standing Committee – copied below.
The cavalier approach to due synodical processes under the chairmanship of Bishop Chama is challenged and described in detail. ANGLICAN-INFORMATION observes that Bishop Chama is seriously mistaken in attempting to force contrived processes. It is impossible to do so with a modern well-informed lay and clerical constituency who know their Provincial constitution, hence he is struggling not only with the nonsense of the Bishop Kunonga schism but with a growing inability to command any respect and order in the Diocese of Lake Malawi.
The tone of the letter indicates considerable annoyance with attempts to push through non-synodical and contrived action and its wide circulation makes that clear throughout the Province. There are further elections due in the New Year in the neighbouring Upper Shire diocese (Bernard Malango’s diocese), and the people and priests are watching developments in Lake Malawi very closely. Unless the bishops undertake a consultative and properly conducted synodical process as that initiated by Bishop Trevor Mwamba, chaos will ensue.
…………………………………….
Bishop Albert Chama
Dean
Anglican Province of Central Africa
DIOCESE OF NORTHERN ZAMBIA
P.O.Box 20798,
KlTWE
ZAMBIA
Email: dionorth@zamnet.zm
FAX: 2602224778
Your Lordship,
RE: DIOCESAN STANDING COMMITTEE MEETING
HELD ON 20TH OCTOBER, 2007.
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In reflecting on the captioned subject above, we regret to mention that what transpired on this day leaves much to be desired, administratively.
The House of Laity, strongly, is of the opinion that because there was no formal agenda
circulated beforehand, which should have been discussed at Parish and Archdeaconry
levels prior to your visit to Malawi, and at DLM in particular, had a hidden and premeditated agenda. You introduced subjects that required prior reasoned preparation in the entire Diocese e.g.
(a) Election of a Bishop (way forward and provide a shepherd for the Church).
(b) Your threatened intent to remove DLM from Province of Central Africa for seeking Justice.
In your charge you talked of responsibility to reconcile man to God, reconciliation is
important as a Church, and that we should be the "Light and Salt" of the world.
We still ask ourselves, what was the main purpose of your calling for a Diocesan standing
committee meeting? Was it to introduce yourself as new Dean of the Province or to scare
and intimidate us? You may not agree, but we feel you treated us like kindergarten children and not adults with whom you are to work with during your term of service as Dean of the Province and Bishop of our vacant see. It is regretted that you might have taken us for granted and if it is so, then it is very unfortunate.
In accordance with the Acts of the Diocese "Chapter 3; 3.1 and 3.6 the procedure was not
followed to the full in calling for this meeting.
On 12th August, 2007 the Diocese called for a Synod as the Legislative body of the
Diocese, and among other things passed a resolution to take our case to Provincial Court,
following a fully attended meeting held on 23rd June, 2007, at St. Thomas Church Hall
and the Archbishop's letter which came through the Secretary of the Anglican Council in Malawi dated 17th October, 2006. The Synod met in preparation for the Provincial Synod which was to take place from 8 -10th September, 2007. To our dismay the case was never
discussed at the Provincial Synod but ended with the Episcopal Synod (House of Bishops) only.
It is inconceivable that the very same Bishops who sat as a Court of Confirmation would have discussed our case with sober and well reasoned minds and conscience. Tere would have been a total conflict of interest.
The Provincial Synod is the Legislative body of the Province accordance with
Canon 1A (6) and (7) the Episcopal Synod should have referred our case to a full
Provincial Synod for discussion. This was not done and according to the Draft Episcopal
Synod's resolutions, Bishop Musonda Trevor Mwamba and Bishop P. Christopher Boyle
demurred. The Episcopal Synod should have excused itself from discussing the issue and
let the General Provincial Synod discuss it. The then Dean, Bishop Mwamba attended
and respected what the Diocesan Synod resolved. The Vicar General never commented
on these issues. The Archbishop, now retired, acted hypocritically because all the
meetings that were conducted by the then Dean, Bishop Musonda T. Mwamba, (at that time) had his blessing.
Double standards were clearly demonstrated by the former Archbishop at that Episcopal
Synod. Maybe, Bishop Mwamba was not Archbishop Malango's protege; this is why he
was full of pretence. The Archbishop negatively demonstrated this view in his interview
with David Virtue, 14th Sept, 2007, Virtue online (online ultra conservative and schismatic American website). He said very unpleasant things about Bishop Mwamba.
It is our strongest considered view that the Episcopal Synod should not have discussed our case alone without referring it to the Provincial Synod.
We would like to mention that Christians of DLM made a choice of a Bishop Elect and
we can not accept anything less than see justice prevail. We are aware that the Court of
Confirmation decision trumped up allegations because of the influence from some of the
Bishops. In line with Canon 26(7) we have the legal right to appeal to the Final Court,
should you think we are ignorant of the Canons.
You also posed a question to us as to whether or not we wanted to be members of The
Province of Central Africa. We find your question and statement rather absurd, because
we never indicated to anyone that we would break away should you not accede to our
cause. (NB It is Bishop Nolbert Kunonga and Bishop Elson Jakazi of Zimbabawe who have unilaterally broken away from the Province) Please note clearly that we are after justice.
Why are you afraid that our case that should not be received by the Provincial Court? Is it your desire to shut us up when we are acting within the Constitution and Canons? What kind of a Shepherd are you? It must also be known that whenever those in authority are misleading their subjects, we can't just sit without correcting the anomalies.
Finally, please note that the Archdeaconries cannot discuss and change what the Diocesan Synod had resolved and passed. What you have to know is that we respect what our Diocesan Synod passes. It is the wish of the majority of the Diocesan Christians that our case should be reviewed by the Provincial Court and if you deny us this Canonical right, then allow us to appeal to the Final Court (The Archbishop of Canterbury) in line with Canon 26(7).
If we have to coalesce you must listen to the voices of the majority and not the minority, or else you will perpetuate the ideals and problems of those who do not wish our Diocese well. Why don't you want to respect the aspirations of the Christians of our Diocese? What you have to know as well is that we totally refuse to be indoctrinated, not even by the "Forward in Faith" doctrine (there has been unilateral interference in the Diocese by Forward in Faith, UK) which has privately been introduced in our system, without prior
discussions at all levels, just because the few are obsessed with the material gains from
their mentors from the west. You are fully aware that the Christians in Nkhotakota,
especially at All Saints Cathedral, are divided because of "Forward in Faith" led by a
suspended Rev D Kayamba with the full support of the retired Archbishop. Do you
condone this kind of existence as Dean?
On the last day we shall all appear before our Creator and we don't want to have no answers when asked, "what did you do when the Authorities-Bishop and Clergy were misleading my people and destroying my Church".
We want to stop and stamp out the bribes and corruption stories prevailing in our Church.
This is the time to make amends and put things right. Our Church Monarchy should be
seen to be above board, whether or not one is a mentor or protégé of someone. Above all
they must live by example and their actions, at all levels and must not be questionable.
With due respect we implore you to take heed of what the majority of the Diocesan
population says. We chose a Bishop Elect, the allegations against him were spitefully
trumped up and could not be proven beyond reasonable doubt. Our position is that we
still stand by our Diocesan Synod's resolution.
God bless us all,
Yours in His Service
J R Kapala
CHAIRMAN, HOUSE OF LAITY
DLM.
CC:
PROVINCIAL SECRETARY, REV ESTON PEMBAMOYO, PRIVATE BAG 1,
CHI LEMA, ZOMBA
BISHOP OF BOTSWANA, THE Rt REVD MUSONDA TREVOR MW AMBA,
P.O.Box 769, GABORONE. BOTSWANA. TEL. +267 (0) 39537779 FAX +267(0)
3913015
BISHOP OF LUAPULA, Rt REVD. ROBERT MUMBI. P.O.BOX 30183, LUSAKA,
ZAMBIA TEL. 260 1 264515. FAX 200 1 262379
BISHOP OF MASVINGO, Rt REVD. GODFREY TADNESVI. P.O.BOX 1421,
MASVINGO, ZIMBABWE TEL. 263 39362536 email: anglicandiomsv@comone.co.zw
BISHOP OF MATEBELELAND, Rt. REVD. WILSON SITSHEBO, P.O.BOX 2422,
BULAWAYO. ZIMBABWE TEL. 263961370 FAX 263968353 email:
angdiomat@telconet.cozw
BISHOP OF NORTHERN MALAWI, Rt. REVD. CHRISTOPHER JOHN BOYLE.
P.O.BOX 120, MZUZU. TEL: 265 1 331486. FAX 265 1 33805 email:
bishopboyle@sndp.org.mw
BISHOP OF SOUTHERN MALAWI. Rt REVD. JAMES TENGA TENGA . P.O.BOX
302209, CHICHIRI, BT3 TEL. 265 1 641 218. FAX 265 1 641 235. email:
angasoma@sndp.org.mw
VICAR GENERAL:
CANON REV. MICHAEL A. MKOKO, DLM, P.O.BOX 30349, CAPITAL CITY,
LILONGW 3. TEL: 265 1 794268.
ALL ARCHDEACONS. DIOCESE OF LAKE MALAWI
……………….END………………..
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