by David Virtue, VOL
TUNIS, Tunisia: The consecration of a bishop in the Anglican Diocese of North Africa this week, marked a milestone in Anglican history; in a part of the world that saw Christianity erased for more than 12 centuries. The blood of the martyrs is not always the seed of the church.
The small Anglican Church, St. George’s, in the back streets of Tunis, was packed with some 150 visitors from across the globe who had come to witness and celebrate the consecration of a beloved friend. It was an historic moment, not only in the life of the Anglican Communion, but for the faith itself. Bishop John Ashley Null, duly elected, was given the final seal of approval by archbishops, bishops, clergy and friends drawn from the four corners of the earth in a ceremony that would have made Thomas Cranmer proud.
This historic election of Dr. Null as the first elected Bishop of North Africa sets the stage for a revival of African Anglicanism.
For a white westerner to inhabit a role in a rapidly changing world where religion, cultures and armies still clash, is, in itself a mark not only of his leadership, grace and wisdom, it speaks volumes to the times in which we live. In an overwhelming Muslim culture, to see 150 Christians, (mostly white), bear witness and stand with a man they have known and loved over many decades, and hear him affirm, “I am so persuaded” is of monumental importance. Ashley Null has the heart of a pastor and the brain of a theologian and historian. It is a combination of gifts one rarely finds in one man.
In his address to the congregation, Alexandria (Egypt) Archbishop Samy Fawzy Shehata spoke of the urgency to hear the voice of Jesus. “You follow in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd. Be a good shepherd, be a bishop of hope,” he exhorted Null. Be marked by the shepherd’s voice, he said.
Drawing on the history of North Africa, Null, citing Ezekiel 37, asked, “Can these dry bones live again? Only you, oh Lord, know. Can we be an Anglican presence in these five countries, can they be repurposed and be a shining light of God’s love and truth?” can North Africa once again be a source of truth and light for the Christian world at a time of uncertainty about what the gospel is and who we serve.”
“I am formed by Paul’s preaching of Christ. I am confident that He who began a good work in us has not done with the Anglican Church in North Africa. As your bishop I invite you to join me to watch God breathe life into new bones and make all things new again,” Null said.
Present on this historic occasion were; The Most Rev. Dr. Samy Fawzy Shehata, (Alexandria); The Most Rev. Dr. Mouneer Anis Egypt (ret.), The Rt. Rev. Dr. Yessir Eric, (Sudan theologian); The Rt. Rev. Dr. Alfred Olwa, (Uganda); The Rt. Rev. Andy Lines, (Anglican Network in Europe) The Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Kaziimba, (Uganda primate); the Rt. Rev Robert Duncan ACNA (ret.); The Rt. Martin Reakes-Williams (Horn of Africa). There were a number of local clergy including the Rev. Frank Bernardi and the Rev. Herb Hand. Also present was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Tunis, Nicolas Pierre Jean Lhernould.
In his role as bishop, the gospel will once again ring out with clarity and conviction in a world torn by religious dissent. St. Augustine would be proud. 1600 years later his legacy lives on.
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