Objecting to the ecclesiastical process which led to the rejection of an English vicar as their choice for bishop, 21 clergy from the Diocese of Lake Malawi in the Anglican Church of Central Africa have petitioned the Primate of Central Africa, the Most Rev. Bernard Malango, and the Archbishop of Canterbury. The clergy also expressed their displeasure over the appointment of a retired bishop as their interim.

The Dec. 9 meeting at St. Thomas’ Church hall was convened by the vicar general of the diocese, Canon Bernard Mkonkoholo, who has been functioning as the administrative head since the death in March of the previous bishop, the Rt. Rev Peter Nyanja. The Rev. Nicholas Henderson, vicar of the west London parishes of St. Martin’s, Acton West, and All Saints’, Ealing Common, was elected Bishop of Lake Malawi July 29.

A trial court of bishops rejected the consecration of bishop-elect Henderson, releasing a Dec. 2 statement in which they concluded he was not of sound faith.

In their petition, the clergy claim that in convening the court in the absence of the bishop-elect, the court violated canonical procedure. The clergy also objected to the fact that only Canon Mkonkoholo was allowed to speak in bishop-elect Henderson’s defense.

“All in all, we feel that both the bishop-elect and the diocese that elected him had no chance to be heard; hence no natural justice was done in this case,” the clergy wrote, as reported in the Church Times. The clergy expressed no personal animosity toward the Rt. Rev. Leonard Mwenda, the retired bishop appointed by synod after the Dec. 2 ecclesiastical decision, but the clergy said they rejected Bishop Mwenda “in the strongest terms.”

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