Signals of a major shift in the Anglican world

Recently, words were written, and spoken, that demonstrate that the fabric of communion is indeed torn through.  This is not to say it could not be mended, but certainly, at the present time, there are in effect, 2 Communions, and may soon be 3.

In a letter from the Global South steering committee to the Bishop and Diocese of South Carolina, the Primates of the GS make clear that they recognize only one diocesan bishop of South Carolina, +Mark Lawrence, do not recognize the legitimacy of the "renunciation" of his orders proclaimed unconstitutionally by the Presiding Bishop of TEC, and recognize the Diocese of South Carolina as the one and only Anglican Diocese of South Carolina. 

In a few weeks time, the Presiding Bishop will convene an unconstitutional convention in South Carolina to select a bishop for a replacement diocese that will be recognized by less than 1/2 of Anglican provinces and Primates, and less than 1/3 of Anglicans worldwide.  There will be, in effect, 3 Anglican Communions- those, in concert with the Global South, which will recognize +Mark Lawrence as the Bishop of South Carolina, those that recognize the TEC designated bishop, and those who try to maintain the "ecclesiastical fiction" that they can recognize both.

That ecclesiastical fiction has been maintained for the last several years in hopes that the Communion could somehow be patched together after the schism perpetrated by the leadership of the Episcopal Church.

The ecclesiastical reality became more evident a few days after the letter was sent, during the installation of the new Primate of the Church of Uganda, Archbishop Stanley Ntagali.  While the words themselves are well worth a read, what may be most noteworthy is who it is who spoke the words in the sermon delivered during the installation of the new Archbishop.  This event was attended by Anglican bishops and archbishops from around the world (including the Abp. of York, John Sentamu, representing the ABoC and CoE). 

A few conclusions we can draw:

1. TEC discipline is no longer recognized as legitimate in the majority of the Anglican world, and TEC orders are considered on a case by case basis.

2. The majority of Anglicans and Anglican provinces don't see membership in the ACC as the determining factor in Communion relationships.

3. (most important of all) The Global South is now acting on its own authority.  The letter in support of South Carolina is not a petition to Canterbury, or a request to the ACO to put this on the agenda of the next Primates or ACC meeting.  This statement is authoritative and crystal clear- +Mark Lawrence is THE bishop of South Carolina- not one word of Anglican fudge.

4. The orders and jurisdiction of ACNA are recognized by the majority of the Anglican world.

An opinion, reading between the lines:

I do find it interesting that the GS letter does not mention ACNA.  But if I were an adviser to the HoB of ACNA, I would recommend that they consider also the implication that +Mark Lawrence is THE Anglican bishop of South Carolina.  The GS Primates nowhere say anything about sharing that jurisdiction with 4 or 5 overlapping ACNA jurisdictions (the REC jurisdiction, the new ACNA diocese, the misc PEAR/AMiA churches, and the non-geographic ACNA dioceses), not to mention whatever Continuum or other Anglican entities might exist there.  Perhaps there is a subtle hint in the message for all of us who view ourselves as "conservative" or "traditional" Anglicans to put our house in order, at least in terms of straightening out our ecclesiatical spaghetti of jurisdictions.  Would it not be appropriate for an FiF church in S Carolina to petition +Lawrence for (and for him to grant) oversight from the FiF non-geographic diocese?  Or for ++Duncan to work out an arrangement so that ACNA church plants aren't cutting into S Carolina congregations?