Gafcon leader: ‘we are not a political movement’

Thursday, 3rd July 2008
Matt Cresswell

London: The Archbishop of Sydney has declared that the Gafcon conference is not a political movement. “It’s a movement for Christ and the gospel,” he told a meeting of evangelicals at All Souls, Langham Place, on Tuesday.

The London meeting, first reported in this newspaper last month, heard contributions from Archbishop Peter Jensen as well Archbishops Gregory Venables (Southern Cone) and Henry Orombi (Uganda). Observers speculated that the meeting could see a breakaway group in England.

Archbishop Venables added: “Just to make it absolutely clear: Gafcon is not a breaking-away from the Anglican Communion. It is not the formation of an alternative group.”

He continued: “It is not a seizing of power, it is the exercise of legitimate authority for the sake of the Anglican Communion. We are not taking power over anybody, we are just bringing things together.”

Answering to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s criticism of the Jerusalem communiqué -- that a new GAFCON primate’s council would not be recognised by all –- Archbishop Jensen declared: “First of all they have authority because they have been elected by their own people.” the rest