Mouneer blasted The Episcopal Church saying it showed no respect in word and deed to the whole Communion and had it turned its back to every appeal and warning.

"Many sing praises of 'inclusiveness' while at the same time they exclude others. I am deeply disturbed in my conscience when I see a kind of double-standard in dealing with different issues. While emphasizing the importance of caring for the marginalized in our communities, like the LGBT community, the orthodox Anglicans are being marginalized. I understand that in a family, the concern of every member is cared for; but this is not the reality in our meetings where the orthodox voices are disregarded or suppressed."

Mouneer tore into what he called "attempts to question and diminish the authority of the Primates and the Lambeth Conference of Bishops who are the guardians and teachers of the faith" while emphasizing the authority of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) more than the authority of the Instruments of the Communion.

"This clearly contradicts the Anglican way which affirms that we are 'Episcopally led and synodically governed,' as Cardinal Kasper said at the 2008 Lambeth Conference."

Mouneer stated he had to remind his colleagues, twice, of the Lambeth Conference Resolutions of 1988 and 1998. "I a strongly believe that if the recommendations of the Primates Meetings, since 2005, were followed through, the situation of the Anglican Communion would be different. There would have been no need for interventions or divisions."

The Archbishop said the current Covenant would not solve the ongoing crisis as it will not work retrospectively and only reminds us of our inter-dependence in the future.

Mouneer said that Provinces who violate the spirit of the Covenant should not be allowed to sign or adopt the Covenant in the first place. Dioceses, within a province that does not want to adopt the Covenant, should be allowed to adopt the Covenant.

The archbishop said the current ACC and SCAC leadership should resign when a majority adopts the Covenant because they have not committed themselves to the covenantal relationship.

Mouneer blasted the Listening Process saying that it had been taken out out of the context of the whole resolution (Lambeth 1:10) which rejected "homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture."

The archbishop ripped wealthy provinces that use money to manipulate financially dependent provinces. "My heart breaks when some of my colleagues say, 'We reject homosexual practice, but we cannot speak up because we have great financial needs.' It is sad that money speaks louder than the Scriptures. I wish that the Anglican Communion Office would clarify with honesty what is really the ultimate aim of the Listening Process."

Mouneer also took aim at the current structure of the Anglican Communion saying that it is not a true reflection of the worldwide Anglican Communion ,which, he said, grows mainly in the Global South. "The Anglican Communion Office (ACO) is mainly staffed by Westerners who do not necessarily express the voices of the rest of the Communion. The result is a lack of ownership. The major financial contributors to the ACO are from the West. I strongly believe that the rest of the Communion should support the ACO. This can only happen if provinces feel that they own the ACO, and it is not an office in the UK that tries to run the Communion in its own Western way."

The Egyptian Archbishop said the good news for Anglicanism is that the Anglican Communion is alive and fast growing, mainly in the Global South. Many people are leaving congregational churches to join the Anglican Communion for its strong Scriptural stand, its ordered structure, and its rich liturgical worship. It's a phenomenon that the churches that uphold the traditional Anglican faith are growing very fast.

To read Dr. Mouneer's letter click here: http://tinyurl.com/yladdnx

ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY RESPONDS TO MOUNEER'S RESIGNATION

Archbishop of Canterbury's statement on Bishop Mouneer's resignation from SCAC

Anglican Communion News Service
February 1, 2010

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, today expressed his regret at the decision of the Most Revd Dr Mouneer Anis, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa, and President Bishop of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, to resign from the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion:

"Bishop Mouneer has made an important contribution to the work of the Standing Committee, for which I am deeply grateful. I regret his decision to stand down but will continue to welcome his active engagement with the life of the Communion and the challenges we face together."

END