Conger

Central Africa failed to fill two episcopal sees this past weekend, after a Malawi court ordered the Diocese of Lake Malawi to cancel its Feb 16 election, and the Diocese of Upper Shire failed to elect a successor to Archbishop Bernard Malango after delegates deadlocked.

Six ballots failed to elect a bishop for the Upper Shire on Feb 16, Provincial Secretary the Rev. Eston Pembamoyo told The Church of England Newspaper. Two candidates, the Archdeacon of Bradford the Ven. David Lee, and the Rev. Steven Hart, rector of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Albany, New York withdrew their names at the start of the balloting as did the Rev. Howard Nasolo of Zomba.

The remaining candidates, the Rev. Jeremy Sheehy, (pictured) the former principal of St. Stephen’s House, Oxford and Canon Alinafe Kalemba, Dean of the Zomba Theological College failed to gain a two-thirds majority after six ballots.

Fr. Pembamoyo explained the “house was divided between those who said no to mzungu [white man] and those who said no to the black man.” Under Central African canon law the diocese’s 12 electors and the Province’s 9 episcopal electors must elect a candidate by a two-thirds majority.

“Those who said no to the black man said so because they thought he was being imposed on the people because he is from another diocese, and those who said no to the mzungu said so because they thought it was not time now to look to the West for the Gospel rather for the West look to the South for Spirituality and Evangelism revival,” he said.

In the wake of a deadlocked election, canon law gives the House of Bishops the authority to elect a new bishop.

Fr. Pembamoyo reporteds that the Elective Assembly for Lake Malawi was prorogued on Feb 5 after a court issued an injunction on behalf of a group calling itself “House of Laity of the Diocese of Lake Malawi.”

The “House of Laity” charged that the three month notice required under canon law had not been given. The diocese has been without a bishop since the death of Bishop Peter Nyanja in 2005. The July 2005 election of London vicar the Rev. Nicholas Henderson was rejected by the House of Bishops and in September a right of further appeal was refused.

Following meetings in November and January the diocesan standing committee set down a new election for Feb 16. Fr. Pembamoyo told CEN the diocese’s four archdeaconries were initially divided. Two proposed fresh elections with the caveat that Fr. Henderson and a Malawian priest the Rev. Henry M’baya not be permitted to stand, a third archdeaconry set no preconditions, while the fourth asked the election be postponed until a further appeal of the Henderson case could be adjudicated.

Fr. Pembamoyo added the self-styled “House of Laity” was not a bona fide administrative unit of the diocesan structure. It existed only during synod and standing committee meetings and its elected leader presided over the “House” only during that session.