Posted: Friday,
November 9, 2012 , 13:18
(GMT)
The head of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans has
welcomed the appointment of Bishop Justin Welby as the next Archbishop of
Canterbury.
In a statement the Archbishop of Kenya, the Most Reverend Dr
Eliud Wabukala said the Fellowship's prayer for a "godly" leader
"has been answered".
His appointment would give hope to those in the Anglican
Communion "who long to see renewal, reform and genuine unity".
"Bishop Justin will bring to the Anglican Communion a
special combination of gifts and experience. I know him as a deeply committed
servant of Jesus Christ who honours the Scriptures as the Word of God and as a
courageous peacemaker," the Archbishop said.
"I am confident that these qualities, together with his
sustained involvement in business and finance, will enable him to articulate
the lordship of Christ to a watching world as well as to a Communion in
continuing disorder."
The Archbishop said, however, that it would be "unfair
and misleading to suggest that one man can resolve the crisis which has beset
the Anglican Communion in recent years".
Meeting in London
earlier this year, the Fellowship stated its desire for the chair of the Primates
Meeting to be elected by the Primates themselves.
He said: "Our proposal, while not intended to deny the
honour due to Canterbury as an
historic see, is an expression of the truth we hold as vital, that our identity
as Anglicans stems first and foremost from adherence to the faith we confess.
"It is this which gives substance and integrity to our
bonds of affection and our efforts to relieve poverty and promote development.
He added: "As the Primate of Kenya and Chairman of the
Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, I eagerly look forward to working
with the new Archbishop of Canterbury as a partner in the gospel to restore
much needed conviction, confidence and unity to the deeply fractured Anglican
family."
From here:
"I know him as a deeply committed servant of Jesus Christ who honours the Scriptures as the Word of God."
ReplyDeleteHow is it, then, that he supports female bishops and is "retinking" his position on same sex marriage?