BUT A SIGNIFICANT RECONCILING MOVE DID TAKE PLACE THIS WEEK IN AFRICA

A rift between the only liberal province—Southern Africa—and the rest of Africa was patched over between Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane and Nigerian Primate Peter Akinola. Their statement (included in today’s digest) said:

“We concluded to work together to strengthen the position of the Church in Africa on the issue of Human Sexuality. We uphold the Lambeth resolution on Human Sexuality as passed at the 1998 Lambeth Conference and subsequent Primates Meetings, which categorically say no to same-sex marriages or unions.”

Is this a backdown by Ndungane from his earlier very pro-Western views on sexuality issues? There are two ways (at least) to interpret this event:

1. Ndungane has had a change of heart about sexuality issues and has repented of his positions—though the document does not specifically say so.

2. More importantly, the African Anglican provinces want to be totally united if and when a split comes in the Anglican Communion—and Akinola, its de facto leader, does not want a fifth-column province in his backyard beholden to ECUSA and working against him when the balloon goes up.

Now it would be a major step toward healing if Ndungane fired the so-called Episcopal missionary Ted Karpf—who is being funded out of New York and who heads the AIDS war in Southern Africa. Karpf is an activist homosexual and an 815 plant, and he is there to keep Ndungane’s feet to the fire—and by doing so guarantees the monies keep flowing from ECUSA.

It would be a major statement if Ndungane sent him packing back to the US, where he could practice his behavior in the comfort of NY or Washington, DC, with the blessing of Frank Griswold and a new job at 815. We shall see.

Ndungane recently led a clergy retreat in the Diocese of Port Elizabeth where he pleaded the liberal line on homosexuality. So what has changed? He was a vigorous supporter of Griswold at the Primates Meeting, and at the HoB meeting in South Africa last year he argued for a study and a more liberal attitude on same-sex unions.

If he has changed his mind, then this is a giant step forward—but the document both men signed does not exactly say that.

Furthermore, at the CAPA meeting held last summer in Nairobi, the bishops decided not to hold Lambeth 2008 in Cape Town. Akinola is chairman of CAPA. So what is on Akinola’s mind? If he consulted his fellow African bishops, the document does not say so. The press release is not clear—more clarification is needed.