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Archbishop Justin in Guatemala – first report by Leonardo Ricardo

Aug 12, 2013

PART TWO — GUATEMALA – JUSTIN WELBY, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY: ¨Scripture, Reason and Tradition or we will destroy the Church¨

¨We work with what we have at hand¨  
The Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury
Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury said the following things yesterday at the Cathedral of Santiago in Guatemala City, Central America  (at least this is what I understood him to say during his sermon which was given in English and perfectly translated into Spanish – Leonardo/Len):

*  We must physically take action to love our enemies.  We must reach out to our enemies and interact with them.  We must ¨buy their bread¨ which will start a relationship so we can talk to one another to build a normal/everyday-like relationship.  (He used an example of two different groups in Africa who had been murdering each other for years and the priests were biter and tired full of anger/hate).  We must open the doors of resentments (justified resentments or not) and let them fade away.  We must offer kindness and love even in the face of desperation and terror….


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2 comments on this post:

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Dear Laura, Sorry this comment is so late…my internet has been up and down and I prepared this a day or two ago.

Regarding the Archbishop of Canterbury:

I liked him. I liked him because he talked directly to people about the real and pending danger of refusing to get along with one another at the Anglican Communion (that’s what I interpreted him to saying)…he was quite serious and he had such a elegant accent to my ear (I thought at first he had a voice that dogs could hear better than humans but I adjusted to a pitch that seemed a bit higher than usual). He spoke about his work in Africa (not as a oilman but as a ¨religious¨) which sounded like it could have been about Jos, Nigeria. He didn´t say place or country. He spoke about the destruction of Anglican Church (he said the priests were bitter and years of this kind of terrorism) with people IN the churches. Massacre (he spoke less about the return of violence by Christians and made NO mention of Archbishops Peter Akinolas throwing flames on the fire of hate). ++Welby´s point of view mostly was about reconciliation and how to achieve that even in the most humanly destructive climate/culture of one group demonizing another. I, as a Gay man, took that to mean in large part the violence against the despised and illegal LGBT person in cultures that loathe/worse people like me at Church and beyond Church. I took it very personally because LGBT Anglicans ARE brutalized, marginalized and outcasts in many parts of Africa, South East Asia and certainly Egypt. Although his example of reaching out to the enemy suggests opening dialogue by ¨buying the bread¨ made by the enemy, I find it sad that the ABC doesn´t name ACTUAL circumstances and offer and REAL suggestion instead of making enemies out of both sides.(seemed he hasn´t figured out to have a reasonable conversation with the Gafcon folks). As I said, I think he ignored Akinolas driving viciousness/retaliation by not making a example of it (in the same way the Anglicans were murdered). The very idea that he DID NOT SAY in words that we ought not INSTIGATE hatred against our enemies at Church was a sickly/cowardly error in judgement. He merely whispered about how we ought love our enemies within the Anglican Communion ¨because the Church will be destroyed if we don´t¨…my hope would be this is START to opening a real conversation that includes discussing the outcomes of LGBT and heterosexual women who are persecuted and abused AT the Anglican Communion. My belief is that he is being cautious by introducing a suggestion about OUR real life desperation to respect one another through making ourselves available to Gods capacity to heal us through out the Anglican Communion…perhaps he will even more boldly/specifically say those words as time and circumstances present themselves. Broad Church is one thing that exists because of the three legged stool…now, we need dig deeper into the fact that everyone of us, especially our leadership, ought open ourselves to one another (most critically in provinces where real people are being persecuted at Church. (see the interview with Archbishop Stanley today at Thinking Anglicans).

14 August 2013 23:21
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Leonard Clark said…
Laura/Lay Anglicana

I think you are right. I keep reflecting on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s visit and sermon and being near him, and photographed with him (and photographing with Elizabeth Bell)…I think he does have a noticeable ‘observing’ that seemed more inquisitive than knowing. You may be very right about the humility aspect. I think I am sometimes loaded for bear, especially with Evangelicals…I think it is Leonard who needs to quiet down. More will be revealed regarding the work of Archbishop Justin (and ought be). Thanks for being patient with me too. Len

AUGUST 16, 2013 AT 6:26 PM

17 August 2013 13:41

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