Wednesday 12 February 2014

The Synod and ACNA

Thinking Anglicans has this report from the General Synod on the implications of the recent appointment of  the Revd Dr Tory Baucum, Rector of Truro Church in Fairfax, Virginia, and a member of ACNA, as one of the Six Preachers of Canterbury Cathedral.

Unsurprisingly, this welcome and very constructive appointment has led to protests from TEC (and its ever vocal supporters in England) who feel aggrieved by any de facto recognition this might be thought to accord ACNA  as a legitimately 'Anglican' ecclesial grouping, despite - one must add - having driven them out of the Episcopal Church to begin with by their ruthless and unrelenting persecution of orthodox clergy, parishes and dioceses.  
Equally unsurprisingly, the Archbishop of Canterbury ducked - or deftly sidestepped - the question, denying that the honour accorded to Dr Baucum had any implications beyond that of the personal appointment itself. Perhaps we should simply file the episode and the resulting story under the heading of 'mutual flourishing.'

Of course, given the news [here] of TEC's substantial funding of the the Anglican Communion's indaba and reconciliation procedures (which has interesting implications in itself in terms of what we might perceive as the desired outcome of such conversations) U.S. Episcopalians may feel somewhat aggrieved that (s)he who pays the piper isn't calling the tune - not quite all of it anyway - yet ...


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