Content about Rwanda

Allegations the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Rwanda (PEAR) solicited a $250,000 gratuity from the Anglican Mission in America and its refusal led to the breach with the African church are baseless, church leaders tell Anglican Ink.

The Anglican Province of the Congo has given the Anglican Mission in America a temporary home while it seeks to find a permanent place within the Anglican Communion.

... The Congolese archbishop told Anglican Ink “we have finally agreed to temporarily welcome AMiA in our Province as a result of a fruitful discussion as a first step of our ongoing dialogue.”

Archbishop Onesphore Rwaje has blessed clergy and churches canonically resident in Rwanda who are finding their way directly into the ACNA. Clergy and congregations may affiliate with ACNA, either through existing or nascent geographical dioceses, or through other sub‐ jurisdictions such as CANA, Forward in Faith, and the Reformed Episcopal Church. While each ACNA diocese or sub‐jurisdiction will provide guidelines for such transitions on a case‐by‐case basis, the PEARUSA Steering Team remains eager to assist affiliated clergy and congregations who choose this alternative. In addition, the Steering Team is working with the House of Bishops of PEAR to provide formal and liturgical resources to facilitate, support, and celebrate those who choose direct affiliation with ACNA.

Cookie Richardson will represent Church of the Apostles, Columbia, South Carolina at the consecration of the Rev. Emmanuel Ntazinda, Bishop-elect of the Kibungo Diocese of the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda. Church of the Apostles enjoys a Sister to Sister partnership with Kibungo.

Archbishop Rwaje charged the team to create a task force to work collaboratively with representatives of the ACNA and PEAR to explore and develop plans for long-term structures that will serve the following needs of our congregations:

Those who desire full participation in an existing diocese of ACNA

Those who desire to remain affiliated with PEAR while also forming a subjurisdiction of ACNA

Those churches who desire to remain affiliated with PEAR by establishing a missionary jurisdiction in North America

We rejoice in the election of new Rwandan  bishops as the HoB continues to move forward in unity and love. We  are also grateful to Archbishop Duncan of the ACNA for his  leadership and support for us, congregations and clergy, who find  ourselves in this difficult season of grief, uncertainty and confusion  over recent events in our life together. As you will read in his letter,  Archbishop Rwaje is in communication with Archbishop Duncan as a  fellow GAFCON primate and friend. 

The resignation of nine Anglican Mission bishops, including the Bishop Chairman, from the House of Bishops of Rwanda, changed relationships with Rwanda, with fellow bishops and with the Anglican Church in North America. The resigned bishops lost their status in our College of Bishops as a result of their resignation from Rwanda. The Anglican Mission also lost its status as a Ministry Partner, since that status had been predicated on AMiA’s relationship with Rwanda. In addition, confusion and hurt has been created in Rwanda and in North America, and there is much serious work ahead of us.

We resolve that all the Bishops who have willingly resigned from the Province of Rwanda have forfeited their authority over those clergy and congregations that have been affiliated with Rwanda through AMiA. 

The AMiA press office appears to have shot itself in the foot once more.  On Dec 9, 2011 – some eleven months after Bishop Alexis Bilindibagabo requested Bishop Chuck Murphy provide an explanation for the discrepancy between the amount of money the AMiA reported as sending to Rwanda as a tithe, and the amount of money received by Rwanda (approximately $1.2 million) – the AMiA released data on the tithe to Rwanda for the years 2004 to 2010.

The method of giving the tithe to Rwanda has always been done in consultation with the Archbishop of Rwanda. Gifts were directed in three ways: (see Anglican Mission Tithe Gifts 2004-2010 chart) 1) a portion of the moneys were sent directly to the Province of Rwanda, 2) Travel related expense for the Province and its leaders were paid directly by the Anglican Mission, as agreed to by the Archbishop, and therefore did not go to Provincial Accounts, 3) Designated support as part of the tithe was paid for or given by the Anglican Mission to assist in cases of special need. (see Designated Support as Part of the Rwandan Tithe chart)

Confusion over the consequences of the AMiA Bishops walkout has spawned a host of contrary opinions as to what the schism means for the organizations' clergy and congregations.  While the AMiA leadership insists that congregations and clergy are tied to the person of Chuck Murphy, other AMiA leaders have argued the link is with the Province of Rwanda.

Bishop Chuck Murphy has rejected the godly admonition of Archbishop Onesphore Rwaje and he and the members of the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA) House of Bishops have broken with the Church of Rwanda. 

In a letter dated 5 Dec 2011, Bishop Murphy and the AMiA House of Bishops announced that the Lord “is now doing” a “new thing” and that its bishops had decided to reject the discipline and oversight of Anglican Church of Rwanda .