South Africa Elects Conservative as Next Primate

Posted by Kendall Harmon

The Rt. Rev. Thabo Cecil Makgoba, Bishop of Grahamstown, was elected Archbishop of Cape Town and Metropolitan and Primate of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa on Sept. 25.

Bishop Makgoba, 47, will succeed the Most Rev. Njongonkulu Ndungane as archbishop, and will assume office on Jan 1. Viewed as a conservative on issues of human sexuality, he is expected to try to move the South African church closer to the other African Anglican provinces. The spiritual reconstruction of the church and of South African society will guide his tenure as archbishop, he told the South African Broadcasting Corporation.

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Anglican Primates • Anglican Provinces • Church of South Africa

8 Comments
Posted September 26, 2007 at 4:59 pm [Printer Friendly] [Print w/ comments]



1. David+ wrote:

This is very important news from Africa.  It will mean basically a united front on Africa’s part against TEC apostacy.

September 26, 5:16 pm | [comment link]
2. Irenaeus wrote:

Not the kind of result 815 has envisioned as it hopes for a new, more pliable generation of Global South leaders.

September 26, 5:39 pm | [comment link]
3. Nick Knisely wrote:

Does anyone know why the Living Church has chosen to characterize the next Archbishop as a “conservative”?

September 26, 5:47 pm | [comment link]
4. Dale Rye wrote:

The interesting thing here is that they have elected someone who is not yet 50 and who has been Bishop of Grahamstown only since February. Whatever his stance on the issues, this is clearly a passage from one generation of leadership to the next.

September 26, 5:53 pm | [comment link]
5. Cennydd wrote:

This is a spot-on appointment, and just might throw a load of sand in the clockwork of TEC’s efforts at subversion in Africa.

September 26, 7:47 pm | [comment link]
6. Jim Naughton wrote:

The Living Church may know something I don’t, but I think this characterization is inaccurate.

September 27, 9:32 am | [comment link]
7. chips wrote:

My guess (and only an assumption) is that we are seeing a shift between those whose careers were dominated by the anti-apartheid movement which was marxist and are now seeing the rise of Bishops whose main concern has been the devastation brought on by aids.

September 27, 11:12 am | [comment link]
8. Billy wrote:

Jim, #6, what is the basis for your statement?

September 27, 3:11 pm | [comment link]
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