Those who did not sign it include the Primate of the Southern Cone, the Most Rev. Gregory Venables and the bishops of Bolivia, Chile, Nthn. Argentina, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

"We have had nothing whatsoever to do with the organization of this although they might make it look as if we do," Venables wrote VirtueOnline.

Bishop Bill Godfrey of Peru has assured Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables that neither he, nor Bishop Miguel Tamayo of Cuba signed the Panama letter and all Bishops present were aware of that and accepted that.

The statement was developed at their recent congress' meeting in Panama City October 5-10 and floated by the Episcopal News Service in New York.

In the statement, "Declaración de Panama," the bishops criticized what they see as an effort to polarize biblical and theological discussions with labels that assign people to the Global North or the Global South. They said they feel they are being pressured to choose sides when, in fact, neither alternative fits their views.

The bishops who signed the statement instead suggested a Global Center that was rooted in the traditional middle way of Anglican inclusion and tolerance.

The statement also lamented the exclusion of the Province of Brazil from the upcoming conference of global south Anglicans to be held in Alexandria, Egypt. The statement also criticized the reception by the Primate of the Province of the Southern Cone of the deposed bishop and clergy from the Brazilian diocese of Recife.

John Kater, retired professor of ministry development at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, attended the meetings that produced the statement. He said the gathering was characterized by a solidarity across many potential dividing lines, including culture, race, nationality, and language, according to ENS.

"I'm excited about this statement because it represents a rejection of the incredible polarization of the Anglican Communion," said Kater, who provided a paraphrase translation of parts of the statement. "It represents a common affirmation by people who have different opinions about specific issues and it affirms that communion goes beyond shared opinions."

The theological conference is a new initiative coordinated by a sub-commission of the Commission on Theological Education for Latin America and the Caribbean (CETALC).

"The Latin America Theological Congress came out of the commissions concern about the theological education in Latin America," the Most Rev. Martin Barahona-Pascasio, Primate of IARCA and Bishop of El Salvador recently, he told ENS.

"We know that there are good seminaries in the United States but the theological education in Latin America is more difficult. We have experienced that when we send students from Latin America to the United States to study, they don't want to come back. So we need to develop our own vision of theology in Latin America. This vision is of the viewpoint of globalization of the world," he said.

But their action was blasted by the American Anglican Council which issued a statement saying the move was designed to provide opposition to the Global South which is made up of Anglican provinces in the southern hemisphere that uphold the authority of Scripture and historic faith. "Global South provinces, their primates, bishops, clergy and laity have condemned decisions and actions by the Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA) and the Anglican Church of Canada that represent an abandonment of Anglican doctrine and practice," said a press release issued by the AAC.

"The statement, produced at the Latin America Anglican Theological Congress claims a desire to seek "perfect unity in our Lord Jesus Christ" as well as a commitment to "plurality, diversity and inclusiveness as a permanent sign of Anglicanism." According to the statement, the proposed Global Center will appropriately represent their "thinking and spirit" embodied in a "via media" of diversity, tolerance and inclusiveness."

The statement continues: "Those acts of exclusion from events, and the intromission and lack of recognition of authority and jurisdiction among provinces represents the break of covenants and agreements established by the primates, and are products of intolerant tendencies we have confronting, and we hope that soon can disappear under the illumination of the Holy Spirit and with our action in favor of renewal."

END