Bp Derek Jones submitted an affidavit alongside this reply that contains many separate ecclesiastical claims. Here's my attempt to thread through them. 🧵
Jones claims that the Jurisdiction was never part of ACNA, & that he wasn't subject to ACNA's archbishop, but to Nigeria's.
He claims the Jurisdiction's link to ACNA was an "informal affiliation," but that it was leaning on rights of ACNA dioceses to disaffiliate when it did so.
He claims that the Jurisdiction existed to serve "many distinct Anglican churches" by endorsing chaplains, and that those in ACNA who entered the Jurisdiction for chaplaincy were "transfer[ring] ... from ACNA to our organization".
He claims that his ecclesiastical authority comes from the trustees of the Jurisdiction as an incorporated Alabama corporation with 501c3 status, and that the Jurisdiction became completely independent from any provincial body in 2022.
"ACNA's archbishop has no more authority over me than the head imam of a mosque in Cairo would have over the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church in Rome," he says.
He claims that efforts for the Jurisdiction to join the ACNA were thwarted by the Governance Task Force "not forward[ing]" desired canonical changes "to the provincial meeting" (likely the Provincial Council).
Jones accuses Bp. Julian Dobbs, with whom he served in CANA under Nigerian oversight at the time, of financial misconduct, and the ACNA of not initially taking action on it. (Dobbs signed an affidavit explaining the CANA arrangements for the ACNA's previous legal reply.)
Jones makes many further claims about the importance of Canon 11, and sets up a view where, in absence of the Jurisdiction's desired version of Canon 11, the Jurisdiction is not merely not an ACNA diocese, but is not a part of ACNA at all.
He claims that in October 2024, newly installed Archbishop Steve Wood also thwarted efforts at reforming Canon 11 and "threatened [Jones] personally."
He claims ACNA's actions since his inhibition are an attempt to steal the Jurisdiction's identity and "conduct a public smear campaign," getting the DOD to update its endorsing agency list to include his name rather than the Jurisdiction's and getting people to edit Wikipedia.
Letting the bishop close:
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The ACNA's College of Bishops write after this week's meeting: "As we reflected on our shared episcopal ministry, including the many ways God has borne fruit through it, we acknowledged areas where we have not fully met the high calling entrusted to us." 🧵
"In a spirit of honest repentance, we express sorrow for the hurt that these shortcomings have caused, and we ask the clergy and people of the Anglican Church in North America to forgive us where we have not lived up to the sacred trust placed in us."
"We did not pass over these matters lightly," they wrote of several bishops' having been approached with complaints against Abp. Steve Wood, declining to sponsor the charges, and later publicly claiming the complainants went to the press before the mechanisms of the church.
@vermeerlight @AcnaTruth @ACNAtoo Good questions; short 🧵incoming. Here is the canon on inhibition of the archbishop. Note two things: 1) The Dean (Bp Ray Sutton) is the one who decides to inhibit; and 2) He would also need the additional consent of 4/5 of the seniormost bishops in the College.
@vermeerlight @AcnaTruth @ACNAtoo Here's the canon regulating all inhibitions (including of the archbishop). A cleric can be inhibited at any time if the inhibiter "believes, on reasonable grounds," that the cleric has committed presentable behavior & that the inhibition is in the best interests of the church. 2/
@vermeerlight @AcnaTruth @ACNAtoo An inhibition can come "pending" essentially any element of the disciplinary process; so my read is that, no, whether a Board of Inquiry is going or not is not a blocker to inhibition, if Bp Ray Sutton + 4/5 of the seniormost bishops desired to inhibit Abp Wood. 3/
The ACNA released an FAQ on Abp. Steve Wood's leave: "While our canons do not establish limits on how long investigative and disciplinary proceedings last, we expect that the relevant church bodies ... will make every effort to resolve these matters as quickly as possible". 🧵
"The Dean [Ray Sutton] is a senior bishop whose character is known and well respected. ... Bishop Julian Dobbs is one of the most senior active diocesan Bishops in the College with a strong reputation for advancing misison."
Abp. Wood will "continue to be paid and receive benefits" while on leave, but he is "solely responsible for seeking and retaining independent counsel" in the disciplinary matter.
Bp. Julian Dobbs of ACNA's Anglican Diocese of the Living Word spoke at a Q&A at an episcopal visit, calling the Wood matter "a very difficult situation for everyone involved. It’s unfortunate and regrettable that it’s played itself out in the media." 🧵 for the full transcript:
"I think it’s demonstrably unnecessary and inappropriate that those making the allegations against the archbishop first went to the Washington Post before they went to the archbishop."
"I don’t see anything in scripture that would suggest that’s the way we should go about things; in fact, quite the opposite. It’s very unfortunate," he said.
The Standing Committee of ACNA's Diocese of South Carolina has announced: 1) Bp. Edgar has suspended episcopal visits by suffragan Bp. David Bryan, Court president in the trial of Bp. Stewart Ruch. 2) They request an independent investigation into ACNA's handling of the trial.
"Given that two of our own diocesan leaders, Bishop David Bryan and Mr. Alan Runyan, have played major roles in this trial and have issued public and seemingly conflicting statements, this turmoil is being experienced particularly acutely within our Diocese."
In case you missed it: yesterday, Bp. Chip Edgar of the ACNA's Diocese of South Carolina issued a statement saying he himself objected to yesterday's College of Bishops statement of confidence in the Court, claiming it was not unanimous. 🧵
He declined to impugn Alan Runyan, the former prosecutor who resigned over a Court member who allegedly improperly sought and used evidence at trial that a Court order had itself excluded; and Bp. David Bryan, the president of the Court. Both are in his diocese.
Bp. Edgar himself sits on the Provincial Tribunal, the superior court that would hear any appeal from the Court for the Trial of a Bishop, & recused himself from the CoB meeting. The rest of the PT & Court were similarly excluded, a footnote later added to the CoB statement said.