Well, there’s a familiar name: the “bad bishop of Harare” has also not received an invitation to Lambeth, along with another politically tricky bishop from the Southern Cone who is allied with the regressive, repressive wing of the Anglican Communion. Apparently “contumacy” is a form of stubborn unrepentant behavior, or contempt of rules or church canon maybe, and I expect it’s related to a word I know from Shakespeare, “contumely,” which currently means “abusive language.”
“Invitations to the 2008 conference have been mailed to over 800 bishops by the Conference’s host, the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams. Invitations to two other diocesan bishops, including the controversial Bishop of Harare, Dr Nolbert Kunonga, have been held pending further “consultation,†said Canon Kearon, the ACC secretary general. Dr Williams is “seeking further advice†on inviting Dr Kunonga, Canon Kearon told The Church of England Newspaper but noted his case and that of “one or two others†had “nothing to do with the Windsor process.â€
In 2002 the EU banned Dr Kunonga from travel to Europe in response to his complicity with the crimes of the regime of Zimbabwe strongman Robert Mugabe. A spokesman for the ACC noted Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti of Recife would not be invited either. In 2005 Bishop Cavalcanti and 32 of his clergy were deposed by the Primate of Brazil for contumacy. They and over 90 per cent of the communicants in the diocese transferred to the jurisdiction of the Province of the Southern Cone under the jurisdiction of Archbishop Gregory Venables.
Gosh, I… So let me get this straight (to coin a phrase).
Bp. V. Gene Robinson is not invited, although his standing as a regularly elected and sustained bishop is not in question, and he is seen as a divisive focal point by many, and a role model by many. Bp. Martyn Minns is not invited, and it’s not clear whether it’s because it’s because he’d be a divisive figure or whether it’s because his elevation was a little irregular. Border-crossing and poaching are frowned on but occasionally flouted in the Anglican world, and he’s now a Bishop of Nigeria under the leadership of Abp. Akinola, who vexed our Presiding Bishop by popping over to Virginia to conduct the service without bothering to make a courtesy call. Meanwhile, Kunonga and Cavalcante are on the bubble and not yet invited because they’re troublesome to the comity of the Communion and also kind of embarassing, public-relationswise. Cavalcanti was the border-crossing bishop who, with 4 other conservative (retired) US bishops, confirmed a bunch of people in Ohio “irregularly.” Kunonga is just beyond the pale. Way beyond.
Bp. Gene is considered as troublesome, bad, divisive, or embarassing as the other four bishops? Meanwhile… how many closeted gay bishops from Britain and other countries have already sent their RSVPs to the Archbishop of Canterbury? Rather a lot, really, one suspects. A well-known “outing” action from 1995 put the number at about 15 in Britain alone, including 5 that were still in the closet. That was more than 10 years ago, so numb
I don’t know what the right line to take is; if all the outraged supporters that have already posted their reactions stay away, on both sides of the fence, then what you have is the people in the middle going to Lambeth, which isn’t so very bad. But Bp. Akinola is probably still going, even though his protege’ Bp. Martyn has been snubbed, and all those of his ilk too. If the progressives stay away, the regressives have full play.
Meanwhile: lots of hunger. Lots of poverty. War. Disease. Bad water. Lack of education. Lack of medical care. It’s such a waste of time and resources, all this wrangling over who puts what where and whether or not they are worthy or sinful before the Lord to teach the people and administer the sacraments.
Via The Lead
