Interview with Bishop Chuck Murphy of AMiA

VOL: You have had a corporate name change since last year. You now call yourself the Anglican Mission in the Americas, no longer simply the AMIA. Would you tell us what this is about and what it all means?

MURPHY: The Province of the Episcopal Church of Rwanda has canonical letters from three different groups. From Canada we now have the Anglican Coalition in Canada (ACiC). This was done to justify Women’s Ordination in that country. Then we formed the Anglican Coalition in America (ACiA) where we believe that the ordination of women should only be to the level of the Diaconate only. Thirdly, we still have the original Anglican Mission in America - the largest group of canonical letters - priests that do not accept the ordination of women to the priesthood.

VOL: So you have not changed your fundamental position on Women’s Ordination?

Murphy: No we have not. The charge from the Province of Rwanda was to create a structure that could embrace all three groups and maintain the integrity and conscience of each of the three groups. The AMIA consists of two nations, Canada and the U.S. and two positions on the appropriate biblical response with the Women’s Ordination question. Since we are in a province that has Women’s Ordination and since we are in a period of Reception to discern the mind of Christ, our response is, being under authority, we created an umbrella with two countries and two positions while maintaining the integrity and conscience of both. I am the chairman of it all and Rwanda gives oversight. We remain under authority and in full communion with our Archbishop in Rwanda, even in our differences.

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