GAFCON – the Australian dimension

In April over 1,300 Anglican delegates from all over the world gathered in Rwanda made a historic decision to dissociate themselves from the Archbishop of Canterbury (traditionally seen as the leader of the Anglican Church), the Lambeth Conference and the Anglican Consultative Council – collectively known as ‘the instruments of communion’.

The Kigali Commitment has the potential to be one of the most significant documents in modern church history. After all, the delegates represent over 85% of the 80 million worldwide Anglicans. But the BBC clearly did not regard it as a major story – their ‘Sunday’ programme did not mention it at all.

But what does it mean for Australia? Sydney Anglicans are a key part of GAFCON and played a significant role in the conference. The main Australian influence was on the statement of the writing committee. Sydney is acknowledged for providing a lot of theological weight – not least through their Moore College. But they also provided a large number of volunteers. Their Archbishop, Kanishka Rafaal, has been appointed one of the two vice chairs (along with the Primate of Brazil). The Primate of Rwanda was made the chair of GAFCON.