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[ Back to index of January articles ]
African relations
Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, Njongo to his friends, stepped into big shoes when he succeeded Nobel Peace Prize-winner Desmond Tutu as archbishop of Cape Town, but the shoes seem to fit fine. In his seven years as archbishop, Ndungane has distinguished himself as a champion of debt forgiveness for developing nations, an advocate for additional spending to combat HIV/AIDS, and a lonely voice among Africa’s Anglican primates for the full inclusion of gays and lesbians in the church. Later this month, Ndungane and several colleagues from the southern African church will join Bishop John B. Chane and delegates to the 109th Diocesan Convention in establishing a new five-year partnership between the diocese and the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (CPSA). In the words of the resolution that will be presented to the convention, the relationship aims to strengthen both partners in “responding to the challenges of theological education, HIV/AIDS, women’s issues…social justice [and] racial reconciliation.” The diocese is particularly eager to “advocate on CPSA’s behalf with decision makers in the United States government,” said Lu Stanton León, of St. John’s, Lafayette Square, who co-chaired the Southern Africa Partnership Task Force with Ellen Washington of St. Philip’s, Laurel.
While in Washington, Ndungane will meet with James Wolfesohn, president of the World Bank, Randall Tobias, President Bush’s Global AIDS coordinator, Charles R. Snyder, acting assistant secretary of state for African Affairs, Abdoulaye Bio Tchane, director of the African department of the International Monetary Fund, Reps. John Lewis (D-GA) and Amo Houghton (R-NY) of the Faith and Politics Institute and members of the local and national media. He will be accompanied in some of these meetings by Bishop David Beetge, CPSA’s dean, and the Rev. Canon Colin Jones, the province’s AIDS officer. Ndungane said he hopes to focus Western attention on “the whole question of poverty-public good-the whole question of health and of course the HIV/AIDS pandemic. We would want to make a case that the faith-based communities have a unique role in the whole question of delivering services to the poor. “The other thing is the whole question of the realization of the Millennium Development Goals,” he said, referring to an ambitious global anti-poverty program endorsed by all 191 member states of the United Nations. The goals include reducing by half the number of people living on less than $1 a day, and reducing by two-thirds the mortality rate of children under 5 years of age. “We need to put the agenda before the powerful so that they make good on the promises,” said Ndungane, whose province comprises South Africa, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland. “If debts were cancelled, the money would be available to address poverty, running water, HIV/AIDS. If the superpower can take leadership in the world that is full of surpluses, but a world in which many people are poor, then making sure that everyone has three meals, clean water, shelter, health care-all of these are possible.” While establishing relationships with world leaders is an important element in the partnership, Ndungane stressed the importance of person-to-person contact among members of his province and the Diocese of Washington. “I think first it is just a matter of knowing each other, putting a human face on our world,” he said. “And then as people share experiences they can seek ways to respond. That could translate into praying for one another, knowing our pains, sharing our joys, and seeking to contribute, where possible, to uplifting people who are living in extreme poverty and with HIV/AIDS. But first it is a matter of knowing what makes an American tick, what makes a South African tick, and learning ways to strengthen one another in the faith. “If I were an American in the Diocese of Washington,” he said, “it would be a great privilege for me to participate in national building and building a church in a country that soon will be celebrating 10 years of democracy, a country which has suffered one of the most oppressive policies of discrimination, and yet God, in his mercy, has allowed us to pass from apartheid to democracy in a peaceful way. What is in the hearts of people who have been under such oppression, and have such loving hearts that they can live in forgiveness?” León, whose task force worked with Cheryl Daves Wilburn, special assistant to Bishop Chane, in developing the relationship, also emphasized the personal. “The way I see it, our overall aim is to take great delight in each other, share great concern for each other, and act - both corporately and individually - for justice, reconciliation and peace in our communities and countries,” she said. Members of the diocese will find “multiple ways to participate,” she added, “including serving on partnership-related committees, donating time or money to specific programs and providing expertise, whether it is medical, legal, political, liturgical, theological, technological or some other sort. “There will be opportunities to travel to Southern Africa or host Southern Africans here in our diocese,” León said. “We envision parish-to-parish and person-to-person partnerships as well as exchanges of internships and pilgrimages by youth and adults and clergy and church organizations.” Ndungane hopes the relationship will be seen as a model of cooperation by others in the Anglican Communion, which has been in turmoil since the Diocese of New Hampshire chose the Rev. Canon V. Gene Robinson, an openly gay man, as its bishop. “The greatest challenge before us here in the Anglican Communion is how to develop an ethic of working together despite our differences,” he said. “In this relationship, we can show the world what is possible. We are held together by bonds of affection. If, in a little way, the diocese and the province can seek to strengthen these bonds, we can demonstrate that in spite of our differences on certain issues we can stay together for the common good.” In an age of global terrorism and pandemic diseases, he said, such unity is more important than ever. “We live in a world without walls, and the rich, wealthy and powerful are as vulnerable as the poor, weak and the marginalized,” he said. “After 9/11 it is clear that if we are to survive - and survive we must - we need to hold one another’s hands.” Contact Jim Naughton at jnaughton@edow.org [ Back to index of January articles ]
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