c. 2006 Religion News Service

WASHINGTON _ Njongonkulu Ndungane, the Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, has seen divisive policies tear a society apart.

But this fourth-generation Anglican cleric, who was jailed for three years under apartheid in South Africa, is determined not to let the same thing happen to his increasingly fractious Anglican Communion.

Bitter divisions over the role of homosexuals in Anglican life have the 77 million-member Anglican Communion and its U.S. branch, the Episcopal Church, teetering on the edge of schism. The Episcopal Church’s election of the world’s first female primate in June heightened tensions between church conservatives and liberals.

Ndungane, a powerful voice for African development and for unity within the Anglican Communion, visited Washington for an interfaith summit recently. He spoke candidly about international aid programs, the Episcopal Church’s presiding bishop-elect and how the communion can stay together.

The interview has been edited for length.

Q: Do you think the fights over sexuality in the Episcopal Church and wider Anglican Communion hinder the church’s mission toward poverty and illness?

A: I don’t think it does. I think the fact that the Episcopal Church has focused on the (U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals) is something to be applauded. I think there’s a recognition of the Episcopal Church’s commitment to mission, and it has committed its resources to development and issues of that nature. A commitment to the MDGs is indicative of a significant priority in the life of the church.

I think that the problems we face in the Anglican Communion are like any problems we face in a family. We need to get on with what God has called us to do.

Q: You have said that the existing structures within the Anglican Communion can deal with any situation that arises during the current controversy. Does that mean that you would not favor a “covenant” to unify Anglicans in a time of divisive arguments?

A: Would it add value? I think that we have autonomous provinces, which have been very creative _ the situation in the U.S. is different from the situation in southern Africa, different from Australia, different from New Zealand. That gives us flexibility in terms of seeking to respond to God’s call for mission.

But at the same time we possess instruments of unity, which have evolved over time. That should be top on minds, not talking about schism and taking your hat and going. What’s most important is, how do we live together? We need to learn to engage in situations and not just say, “Oh, well, I don’t like the way you comb your hair and therefore goodbye.” That is not what Anglicanism is about. That’s not what humanity is about. We’re created with diversity.

The challenge is how to live together with differences and otherness. And you must bite the bullet on that one and learn through God’s grace to discover what it is that enables us to stick together.

I think of our experience as a church in southern Africa, centuries of colonization, four decades of racial separation, and we managed to avoid a bloodbath thanks to people like Nelson Mandela. We were able to move away from the brink and we’ve come up with one of the most enlightened constitutions and there’s been a constitutional democracy for the past 10 years.

Q: Do you think that the media pay too much attention to certain statements by certain dioceses that threaten to “take their hat and leave”?

A: I think the responsibility falls on those people who make such irresponsible statements, who inflame issues because they want to create this particular misconception that things are falling apart _ when in fact that’s not the case, really.

There’s a culture in certain provinces where if the minority can’t get their way they make all these noises. If you go back to what is most contentious in the (Episcopal Church) _ the election of bishops _ it is one of the most transparent processes, whether you like it or not. We’ll be in for chaos if we don’t recognize those particular processes that govern our church.

Q: What do you think about the Episcopal Church electing Katharine Jefferts-Schori to be its next presiding bishop?

A: Well, it’s wonderful. I’m told she is an extremely talented person. We welcome her. I cannot wait to work with her in seeking to reflect God’s mission in this world. We are extremely delighted that we have the first woman presiding bishop. They have certainly beaten us Anglicans in southern Africa, who had hoped to be the first.

But we share congratulations, and we know that she’s coming in at a very interesting time. I just want to use God’s words to Joshua, that she should never be daunted, not be faint-hearted, but be assured that the Lord of this church will be with her and we are praying for her and assuring her of our support.

Q: Some people have hinted that the primates are kind of a “boys club” and people might make it an issue for her to fit in. Do you think that will be a big deal?

A: We have had those arguments before. We have been enriched in this church by the ministry of women in the priesthood, by the ministry of women in the episcopate. In 1998 we had 10 to 12 (women) bishops at the Lambeth Conference. Certainly that added some diversity in the life of the episcopate and women bishops made some significant contributions. There are particular gifts and talents that they bring to the table.

I always feel very safe when I enter an aircraft and see in the cockpit that a woman is either first officer or pilot.

_ J. Edward Mendez contributed to this report.

KRE/PH END BURKE

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