An Interview with Bishop Cavalcanti

During the Bishop’s brief visit to the Trinity campus in mid-January 2007, Drew had a chance to sit down with him and ask him a few questions about the current state of Recife and how the Trinity community might pray for current and future developments in the diocese.

DS: What would you like the American church, especially students and faculty at Trinity School for Ministry, to know about you and your situation?

Bishop Cavalcanti: First, that the Diocese of Recife considers itself part of the Anglican Communion and decided never to leave it.  Second, that there is no way of returning to the Brazilian Province because of the enlarging theological and moral gap, and firm personal attacks from the leadership of the province.  Third, that we all recognize that today the network of similarities are more important than geographical boundaries, and that in the Anglican Communion there always have been exceptions in its structures.

DS:  Bishop Cavalcanti, you speak of a holistic mission: will you expound on this for us?

Bishop Cavalcanti:  The diocese is prepared with patience and perseverance to wait for a solution that keeps its rights to maintain the Apostolic Faith and Ethics.  In the meanwhile, we are spending most of our energies in the mission of the church through evangelism, discipleship, and social service.  Please pray for a permanent institutional solution for the Diocese of Recife and for the financial needs in order to maintain and support the outreaches in evangelism and social action.

DS: What do you see your role is for American parishes?

Bishop Cavalcanti: I recognize that American Anglicanism is going through a difficult time.  There are “eschatological” expectations about the future of an orthodox province that depends on the decisions from the instruments of unity of the Anglican Communion, from support of the Global South Primates and from the unity among the American Anglican orthodox leaders themselves.  There are two possible attitudes: to wait for a province, or to work for a province.  The congregations that are connected to Recife chose the second option.  And the Bishop of Recife comes to the United States to fulfill his pastoral and sacramental duties, expecting that the exchange of experiences would be fruitful for the future of an Anglican Orthodox Province in the US.