ACNA: Not In Anglican Communion

Virtueonline on the recent Anglican Communion Primates' Meeting which just concluded in Alexandria, Egypt. The following is from an interview with the Primates of the Southern Cone and Uganda. The main thrust of the statement below is that although the new Anglican Church in North America is in communicatio in sacris with a number of Anglican Communion Provinces, it remains formally outside the Anglican Communion and does not have the recognition of the See of Canterbury or of the machinery of the Anglican Communion.

The Primates interviewed clearly indicate that the formal structures of the Lambeth-Canterbury Communion will never recognise ACNA as an Anglican Communion jurisdiction.

What will ultimately happen if the Anglican Communion refuses to recognise ACNA as the 39th Province? An ongoing lack of recognition by Canterbury will likely render ACNA a new 'continuing church,' albeit a predominantly neo-evangelical 'continuing church' which authorises the ordination of women, modern liturgical forms and the contemporary scriptural hermeneutic. It should noted that an inability or unwillingness on the part of the Anglican Communion to recognise the ACNA will place ACNA in the same position vis-a-vis the Canterbury Communion as that currently held by the Anglican Province of America. The APA enjoys sacramental communion with Provinces of the Anglican Communion, such as Nigeria, by Covenant Union, and Southern Cone, by virtue of the Primatial Patronage of the Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas, but is not in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury. The difference, of course, for our part is that the APA possesses the traditional Anglican theological and liturgical patrimony and affirms the male character of all three grades of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Confusingly in a television interview, the Primates in question state that they and their churches are definitely not in communion with some Primates and Provinces of the Anglican Communion, and in communion with others, yet all Primates and Provinces remain fully in communion with Canterbury. They assert that dioceses and clergy which have left the Episcopal Church and have realigned with Global South jurisdictions and/or ACNA are still in the Anglican Communion, and yet there is no 'communion' in the Anglican Communion anymore. Hearing this I feel bewilderment upon discombobulation. Surely the meaning of the word 'communion' is thus stretched to its outer limit in such a case. The concept of 'mediate communion,' when two parties are not in communion with each other but both are in communion with a third, seems to have a new lease on life. It is fair to say that, where the Lambeth Communion is now concerned, 'communion' and what it means depend upon with whom one speaks... Needless to say, it will be fascinating to see how these developments play out over time.

I found the last sentence of this quote from the interview most puzzling indeed...

'Both Primates [Archbishop Gregory Venables and Archbishop Henry Oromobi]
reiterated that there was no recognition of the new North American Anglican
Province (ACNA).

There seems little likelihood of this happening because it would have to go
through the Anglican Consultative Council, which totally toes the liberal line
and so it would never happen.

(Archbishop Rowan) Williams had earlier pointed out that there was no
official request only a Common Cause partnership.

Both men said, however, that ACNA is thoroughly Anglican and would be in
fellowship with Anglicans like themselves, but they need to propose
something.

Venables and Orombi both articulated their position by saying that while
the Anglican Communion was not a Communion any more, they would still be in the
Anglican Communion.'