A group of self-described “biblically orthodox Anglicans” from the Americas and Caribbean met July 6-8 in Nassau, Bahamas. The summit was chaired by Archbishop Drexel Gomez, Primate of the West Indies and Archbishop Gregory Venables, Primate of the Southern Cone (Argentina). The list of meeting participants from the Episcopal Church, according to a press release, included representatives from the Anglican Communion Network, the American Anglican Council, Anglicans United, Ekklesia and Forward in Faith North America (FiFNA).
The Nassau meeting became news last month after an advocacy group, Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh (PEP) and The Guardian, a British daily newspaper, published a draft document detailing plans to set up an alternative Anglican Communion that was purportedly discussed at a meeting in Lagos, Nigeria last January. “The constitution, which seems not to have been formally agreed to by meeting participants, names [Nigerian Primate Peter] Akinola and Archbishop Drexel Gomez, of the West Indies, as interim co-presidents,” said a June 14 PEP release accompanying the document. “Akinola and Gomez have been two of the most vocal critics of the Episcopal Church and of the Anglican Church of Canada for their treatment of homosexuality.”
According to an article in the June issue of Forward Now, the official publication of FiFNA, the purpose of the meeting was to set up an organization similar to the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA) for the Western Hemisphere.
“Those present have committed to furthering the common ministry of the Americas and the Caribbean and to assist the global Communion with finding solutions to the crisis currently afflicting the Anglican churches in the Western Hemisphere which hinders our gospel witness in this region,” said the press release issued at the conclusion of the meeting. “We look forward to building on the work of the conference and working with our constituencies to strengthen our ties and promote our traditional Anglican heritage in submission to the primates and the Archbishop of Canterbury.”
When contacted for further details, one meeting participant told The Living Church that those in attendance agreed “that no one can say anything except for what is in the press release.”
The complete press release and list of participants is available by clicking here.
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