CANA East Synod expresses support for persecuted Nigerian Christians

Faith McDonnell, for Juicy Ecumenism:

A resolution expressing support for Christians in Nigeria, under siege by the Islamist terrorist group, Boko Haram, passed unanimously at the Annual Synod of the Missionary Diocese of CANA East on Saturday, May 3, 2014, in Wayne, PA. The Synod was the second annual gathering of the diocese, one of four missionary dioceses in the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) led by Missionary Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Julian M. Dobbs.

Thousands of Nigerian Christians, including Anglicans, have been killed or injured by Boko Haram, which was finally designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the U.S. State Department last November. The radical Islamist group seeks the eradication of Christians and the total Islamization of Nigeria.

Boko Haram’s latest and possibly most despicable action was to abduct (new estimation) 276 school girls, mostly Christians, from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, northeast Nigeria, on April 14. Reports indicate that the militants are selling these teenage girls and otherwise enslaving them. The abductions followed a declaration by Boko Haram leader, Abubaker Shekau, made just weeks before that “in Islam, it is allowed to take infidel women as slaves and in due course we will start taking women away and sell in the market.” Prayer at the CANA East Synod focused on this tragic event.

This resolution showing solidarity with persecuted Nigerian Christians has a special poignancy because the Diocese of CANA East is a missionary diocese of the Anglican Church of Nigeria and many of its members are Nigerian Americans. And for disenfranchised former members of the Episcopal Church in the United States, such shows of solidarity might be considered a demonstration of gratitude to the Church of Nigeria that offered them a home.

Here is the complete text of the resolution, Prayers for the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion):

BE IT RESOLVED, that this Synod hereby expresses its profound gratitude to the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) for its generosity to and support of Anglicans in North America.

Be it further RESOLVED, that this Synod expresses its support for Christians and everyone whose life and livelihood have been or are being devastated by the attacks of the Boko Haram in Nigeria.

We hereby call on all levels of government in Nigeria to protect its citizens, especially Christians, from the wanton destruction of human life, church property, and personal property perpetrated by radical Islamic elements.

Our sincere prayers are with the citizens of Nigeria, especially the Christian community. May Almighty God defend and provide for His people for Christ’s sake.

Dobbs appointed Missionary Bishop of CANA

Andrew Gross (ACNA) via Anglican Ink:

The Most Rev. Nicholas D. Okoh, Primate of all Nigeria (Anglican Communion) in consultation with the Most Rev. Robert Duncan, Primate of the Anglican Church in North America, has appointed The Rt. Rev. Julian M. Dobbs as Missionary Bishop of CANA.

The Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) is a founding member of the Anglican Church in North America, a missionary jurisdiction of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), and consists of congregations that are organized under diocesan structures.

Bishop Dobbs will remain in his current role as Bishop of the CANA East Diocese while taking on the additional responsibilities of providing oversight and leadership to CANA’s overall ministry.

Archbishop Duncan commented: “I was officially notified by Archbishop Nicholas Okoh of this appointment earlier today. I am delighted this appointment has been made. Bishop Julian already serves as a member of my Archbishop’s Cabinet, and has previously served on the Provincial Executive Committee, to which he was elected by Provincial Council. He is a great leader and will continue the process by which CANA is fully integrated into the Anglican Church in North America, at the same time that CANA’s important place as a missionary work of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) is strengthened.”

Bishop Dobbs and his wife Brenda, have made their home in Northern Virginia since 2006. He was elected and consecrated as bishop by the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) in 2011, and is a member of the College of Bishops in Nigeria and also the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) where he is a member of the Archbishop’s Cabinet and the Governance Task Force and has also served on the Executive Committee.

Bishop Dobbs on Christian persecution in the Middle East

Bishop Dobbs' letter to the President on plight of Christians in Syria

August 28, 2013

The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

As your administration determines a response to the serious and deteriorating situation in Syria, I urge you to consider the consequences for the Christian minorities across the country of any military action initiated by the United States and her allies.

Christians make up about 10% of Syria’s population, yet they are particularly vulnerable and have become targets of religious cleansing by forces who are determined to establish sharia law. Islamist militant groups, including Al Qaeda, have become increasingly prominent and now control some parts of the country, endangering the Christian residents in those areas.

Already rebel forces have destroyed numerous churches, and many thousands of Christians and other minorities are displaced within Syria or have fled their homeland altogether and are now living in very difficult circumstances in refugee camps in neighboring countries.

In one of the latest incidents, at least 15 Christians were killed in a murderous attack near Ein al-Ajouz in Wadi al Nasara (“Valley of the Christians”) in the early hours of Saturday August 17, 2013. Armed militants first killed soldiers at a checkpoint before going on a shooting rampage, targeting innocent Christian civilians.

Military action that results in the demise of President Assad’s forces would almost certainly allow a strengthened Al Qaeda presence in Syria that would result in significant and increased persecution of Syrian Christians. This is the situation in southern Libya, where the void created by the demise of the Libyan military has emboldened Al Qaeda’s operation in the region.

One of the grave consequences of military action initiated by the United States in Iraq was the destruction of the Iraqi Christian community. Over 3.5 million Iraqis were forced from their homes after the conflict. Christians, who made up only 3-4% of the population of Iraq, account for nearly a quarter of the refugee population.

What guarantees of security and religious freedom can you and your administration give to the already suffering Christian community in Syria if a military intervention is initiated by the United States? And how can you be certain that the recent history of Libya and Iraq will not repeat itself once again and cause indefensible and unpardonable suffering to Syria’s vulnerable Christians and other minorities?

The United States and her allies may use the Responsibility to Protect rationale to justify military action in Syria. But they should not use this selectively, and ignore the unintended consequences of their actions on the Christian minority which, unlike other minorities in Syria, is largely defenseless. Furthermore the Christians will also be at greater risk than other minorities in the aftermath of a US strike on their country; this is because Christian minorities are perceived as allies of the West due to their Christian faith and are therefore the traditional scapegoats on which Muslim extremists vent their wrath against the West.

Faithfully,

The Rt. Rev’d Julian M. Dobbs, Bishop
The Missionary Diocese of CANA East

You may download this letter here.