Anglican Communion News Service

The following resolution passed at the recent ACC-10 Meeting in Panama

Resolution on Rwanda

Trusting in God´s reconciling power, and giving thanks for signs of repentance and spiritual renewal within the Episcopal Church of Rwanda, this Council:

1. urges the Anglican Communion to continue its prayer for the people, Government and Church in Rwanda;
2. in the quest for peace, we urge the Episcopal Church of Rwanda never to abandon its call to be God's instrument of justice and reconciliation without which no peace in Rwanda can be lasting;
3. in the light of steps taken both by the Provincial Synod of EER, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, to persuade the bishops in exile to return to their dioceses, or to resign, and given that these bishops have not responded to these calls, we recognise that those sees are now vacant, and request the authorities in those dioceses to communicate this to their respective bishops, and to record this action in their records. [In this respect, we refer to the Diocese of Cyangugu, Kibungo, Shyira and Shyogwe];
4. we urge the Church leadership, in consequence, in consultation as necessary with the secular authorities, to set in motion legal procedures to elect bishops to those four vacant sees; and as soon as possible after these elections and consecrations, to call a Provincial Synod meeting in order to finalise a Provincial Constitution;
5. not only do we applaud and support the initiatives which have been taken by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Secretary-General , and the Archbishop's special envoy to Rwanda, the Right Reverend David Birney, but we offer our continued support and encouragement to them to take such future initiatives as they think necessary, consulting where possible the Primates of the Communion, the ACC Standing Committee, and other representatives of the Communion whose specialist knowledge of the situation may aid the process.