Anglican Church gives Malasa 6 months to resign

The Anglican Church has given its estranged Bishop of the Diocese of Upper Shire Brighton Malasa up to June 2022 to resign.

In a pastoral letter read in all Anglican churches in the country on Sunday, the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of the Province of Central Africa Albert Chama said if Malasa refuses to resign on his own, the bishops will have to vote for his forced resignation.

In an interview on Sunday, Malasa, 46, remained defiant, saying he will not quit until the church pledges to pay him all his dues until retirement at 65.

He said: “The Church must commit to provide by June 2022. If they don’t am here. If they manage the conditions I will gladly bow out.

“My mother and all family members have agreed to that. What are laws for? They were put there for a purpose and that is to protect incumbents.”

The bishop said the church needs to respect Canon 13 of the Anglican Church of the Province of Central Africa by paying him all his dues.

“I am not refusing to go home or retire, but let the church do the needful,” Malasa said.

According to Canon 13, if he was to resign, the diocese will have to pay his benefits package (maintenance cost) which must include building him a house of the same standard as the one at the diocese.

The church must also pay him his salary for 19 years wholesome and provide him a vehicle, security, medical, cooks and messengers up to his retirement age of 65.

But in the letter, the Anglican Church said it cannot be forced to provide beyond its means.

It said in the case of Malasa, the Episcopal Bench decided to use Canon 13 Section 1 for him to retire voluntarily.

Bishop Chama said they took into account Malasa’s age and they were of the view that in future they could make use of his talents in other missions which would not be possible if he were to be voted out using Canon 13 Section 3.

“In other words, Bishop Brighton is leaving and the time began when the Episcopal Synod, through a virtual meeting, decided to make use of Canon 13(1) in this process.

“ However, the Archbishop emphasized that until the process reached its finality—six months at the most—, Bishop Brighton will continue to work as the Bishop of Upper Shire,” he said in the letter.

Canon 13, sections 1, 2, and 3 explains the three ways in which an Anglican Bishop may resign his See. These are resigning before attaining the age of 65, Canon 13 Section 1, resigning after attaining the mandatory age of 65, Canon 13 Section 2 and forced resignation.

Canon 3 Section 3 may be done by a decision of the majority of the bishops with the Archbishop concurring, that their brother bishop is no longer capable of running a diocese.

“What is important to emphasize about Canon 13 is that the power to relieve a Bishop of his See lies wholly with the Episcopal bench; it does not matter whether it is before the attainment of the age of 65, or at 65 or forced resignation.,” reads the letter in part.

The wrangle between Malasa and some church faithful started way back in 2017 but reached climax in January 2019, when over 200 faithful from 35 out of 41 parishes of the Anglican Church of the Upper Shire sealed Malasa’s offices in Zomba, demanding his immediate resignation.

Th e d i s g r u n t l e d Christians, who also included senior members of the clergy in the diocese, presented a petition to the bishop before sealing the offices.

Following the petition, the Anglican Church of the Province of Central Africa which forms part of the Anglican Communion, and includes 15 dioceses in Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, last year sent Bishop Malasa on a three-month leave to allow for investigations into the diocese’s wrangles.

Archbishop Chama has been visiting Malawi to try to find a lasting solution into the matter.

He flew into the country again on January 20 to 23 this year to communicate his decision on the wrangle that has rocked the diocese over the past five years.