New ACNA Archbishop Ranges over Issues Facing the Church

VOL: First of all congratulations on becoming the second Archbishop of the ACNA. Were you surprised in being elected?

ABP. BEACH: Yes and no. Yes, because the College of Bishops are full of some of the most godliest men I have ever known, and for them to believe I was the one whom the Lord has anointed for this task is quite humbling. On the other hand, AB Duncan asked us back in January to go back home and prepare as if we were the one who was elected since there isn’t much transition time. During these past months, the Spirit has been stirring my soul so I knew something was up – just wasn’t quite sure what.

VOL: Can you tell us anything about the process, or is the process as secretive as the cardinals in Rome electing a pope? Were there a number of ballots? Were you elected on the first ballot?

ABP. BEACH: No, I can’t. Sorry. We made a vow together before the Lord that we would be silent about our time in the Conclave. keep reading

The secrecy surrounding the election of a new ACNA archbishop plays into the ACNA's characteristic lack of openness and transparency and is itself a manifestation of this proclivity. ACNA stakeholders and the general public deserve to know how Archbishop Foley Beach was selected, the compromises made, the deals that were struck. The College of Bishops's adoption of this process for choosing a new archbishop does not bode well for the ACNA. The secrecy of the process places an unnecessary emphasis upon the office of archbishop which by a strict interpretation of the ACNA constitution is essentially that of a presiding bishop. Former Archbishop Duncan with the collusion of the College of Bishops, the Provincial Council, and the Governance Task Force has taken steps to make the office more powerful that the ACNA constitution envisions it. These steps have at times if they have not been unconstitutional or uncanonical, have been irregular.