The letter below was just sent to the Primates of the
Communion.
Open
letter to the Archbishop of
After consulting with my Primate, Archbishop Gregory
Venables, I report with great sadness that two Anglican Network in Canada
(ANiC) churches under my jurisdiction – St Matthews (Abbotsford, BC) and St
Matthias and St Luke’s (Vancouver, BC) – received letters on 26 August 2008,
informing them that the Bishop of New Westminster had taken action on 10 July
2008 to seize control of those parish properties. The letters also
notified the wardens, trustees and parish councils that Bishop Michael Ingham
had dismissed and replaced them and ordered the clergy to vacate the church
buildings by mid-September. It is clear that our other two ANiC parishes
in Vancouver,
This is the fourth Canadian diocese to act in this way
against ANiC churches which have come under the jurisdiction of the
The Anglican Network in
I think
we can all agree that such litigation has been damaging for the mission of the
church and is a poor witness to the very people with whom we are called to
share the good news of Jesus Christ… We would like to propose a meeting at the
earliest possible opportunity… to discuss the possibility of pursuing alternate
dispute resolution mechanisms… to address the outstanding issues between the
ANiC parishes and the ACoC bishops or dioceses. It would be much better
for everyone concerned if we could work out some interim arrangements between
ourselves without the necessity of resorting to the civil courts… In the spirit
of 1 Corinthians 6, we pray that you will consider meeting with us in a spirit
of peace and in a more amicable setting to discuss the way forward in light of
the profound theological differences that have arisen between us and that are
currently being addressed in the global Anglican Communion. Peaceful
negotiations will always leave the door to future reconciliation open but we
fear that further litigation will lead to irreparable harm that will close that
door forever.
In his recent letter, the Archbishop of Canterbury said that
the just-concluded Lambeth conference was designed to meet the Communion’s
chief need: “rebuilding of relationships
– the rebuilding of trust in one another – and of confidence
in our Anglican identity”. The Diocese of New Westminster’s letters, however, demanded
keys to the parish facilities and an inventory of all parish possessions.
Previous letters from the diocese indicated that all parishioners who support
these clergy should vacate with them.
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s letter said the Lambeth
Conference had “…no appetite for revising Resolution 1.10 of Lambeth 1998”
– the resolution that this very same diocese unilaterally defied by proceeding
with same sex blessings only a few short years after this Resolution was
passed. And, despite repeated affirmations by the Primates of the
Communion’s position on this matter and calls for repentance, the diocese has
continued to disregard these calls. Instead, the Diocese seeks to evict
all clergy and congregations who wish to remain faithful to Lambeth Resolution
1.10 – and historic Christian doctrine.
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s letter said the Conference
showed “…much support for the idea of a ‘Pastoral Forum’ as a means of
addressing present and future tensions…” Last week’s action by the
Diocese of New Westminster shows yet again that unless this Pastoral Forum
provides immediate, equal or greater protection from such dioceses there can be
no reasonable expectation of adequate safety. This is even more
significant given the stated objective of the Pastoral Forum is to build
trust.
These hostile actions by the diocese once again underscore
the non-equivalency of the three moratoria called for by the Windsor
Continuation Group. The causal relationship behind these actions must be
acknowledged and the remedy adjusted appropriately. It is the actions by
the Anglican Church of Canada and its dioceses as well as by the Episcopal
Church that are causing faithful parishes to flee to safety. These must
be addressed and the breaches of trust repaired before provincial
incursions can possibly cease let alone be reversed.
The unwillingness of the revisionist provinces and dioceses
to accept the repeated offers of negotiation and mediation shows a commitment
to power and property above reconciliation. While the aggressive hostile
assaults and litigation continues, trust cannot be restored.
We pray for wisdom and discernment as you strive to restore
our Communion – through repentance – to wholeness and effective witness for our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
With many blessings and prayers,
The Right Reverend Donald Harvey
Moderator, Anglican Network in