Vicar General appointed
February 15 2015
The
following is a statement from the Anglican Church in
Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.
Archbishop Brown Turei, the head of Pihopatanga, (the Maori Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand) has appointed Bishop Te Kitohi Pikaahu as his Vicar General.
Bishop Te Kitohi Pikaahu is Bishop of Te Tai Tokerau. A Vicar General acts as a deputy and an advisor to the Archbishop.
The appointment, which was effective from January this year, replaces Bishop John Gray, who remains Bishop of the Maori Anglican Diocese of Te Waipounamu, (The South Island.)
In relation to comments made by Bishop John Gray in Christchurch regarding other faiths and ethnicities,the archbishops of the Anglican Church stand by their apology that was issued last weekend, (See below).
A spokesperson for Pihopatanga, Bishop Te Kitohi Pikaahu says, “The archbishops have already made a statement that is clear and we are talking with Bishop John in a way that is simply about care and collegiality. The church believes those conversations are best taking place behind closed doors for the respect and mana of all concerned.”
--
Previous Statement
The Archbishops of the
Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia wish
to apologise for the hurt which has been caused by comments
recently made by Bishop John Gray, Bishop of the Anglican
Maori Diocese of Te Waipounamu.
Those comments are in
regard to the beliefs and the history of other faiths and
ethnicities.
We as leaders do not share or support the
views that Bishop John has expressed, and his comments do
not represent the Anglican Church's view on these matters.
The Anglican Church values the relationships and the
dialogue that it has with other faiths, and appreciates the
respect that is extended to it by other faiths.
Anglican
Church leaders need to pursue conversations about this
matter and are unable to comment further at this
point.
Archbishop Brown Turei (Tikanga
Maori)
Archbishop Philip Richardson (Tikanga
Pakeha)
Archbishop Winston Halapua (Tikanga
Pasefika)