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CAIRO: Global South Primates and Archbishop Foley Beach Meet to Discuss Welby's Invitation
By David W. Virtue, DD
www.virtueonline.org
October 15, 2015
It is no secret. The primates of the Global South, including ACNA Archbishop Foley Beach, are meeting in Cairo as I write to discuss Archbishop Justin Welby's invitation to meet in an extraordinary gathering of 38 Anglican primates next January in Canterbury, England.
The GAFCON primates attended at the public invitation of Middle East Archbishop Mouneer Anis. Joining them today is Archbishop Justin Welby. He is flying in from the United States, where he attended and spoke at the opening of a rebuilt chapel on the grounds of Virginia Theological Seminary in Northern Virginia. Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop-Elect Michael Curry, and former Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold were also present at the opening.
This will be a Kairos moment for Welby in Cairo. He will be quizzed on whether the aim of the meeting in January is to focus on issues like global warming or whether the faith can be maintained in a Communion "by heresies distressed."
The appearance of ACNA Archbishop Foley Beach is no accident. Canadian Archbishop Fred Hiltz has tried to brush off Archbishop Beach's brief appearance as a side show, but he is wrong. That is not how the GAFCON primates see it.
Central to their coming is whether Archbishop Beach is recognized as a legitimate archbishop in North America or not. If he is not recognized as legitimate, then the GAFCON archbishops have indicated they will leave. The GAFCON archbishops have also called on the TEC and ACoC primates to repent of their endorsement of homosexual practice. To date they have not done so.
A communique is expected following the meeting in Cairo.
The Sixth Trumpet Global South to South meeting in Tunisia was called off last week due to safety concerns.
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