The former Diocese of Egypt with North Africa has completed its transition into an autonomous Province of the Anglican Communion and will be known as Alexandria.
The Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council had already given the new Province the go-ahead. The General Synod of the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East approved the request from the Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa to secede from its province.
Announcing the development, the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, said
In recent years we have seen enormous growth in what was the Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa, particularly - but not only - in the Gambella region of Ethiopia. It is great credit to Archbishop Mouneer and the clergy and people of the diocese that this growth occurred despite the great cultural diversity and complex political situations in the region it serves.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby said that he was "absolutely delighted" to welcome the inauguration of the new Episcopal/Anglican Province of Alexandria as the 41st Province of the Anglican Communion.
Bishop Mouneer paid thanks to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, the Anglican Consultative Council and all their teams for their hard work.
Archbishop Michael Lewis, Primate of the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East and the Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf, sent his “heartfelt prayers and good wishes to our brothers and sisters in the existing Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa.” He also added:
A new phase in the life of Anglican presence and engagement in north-east Africa is beginning. From Algeria through Egypt to Ethiopia and in all neighbouring nations they will by God's grace be a blessing to their communities and peoples.
The new Episcopal / Anglican Province of Alexandria is a member of the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA). Its Chair, the Primate of Central Africa and Bishop of Northern Zambia, Archbishop Albert Chama, said:
Egypt has been an especially important and strategic diocese for the Church in North and the Horn of Africa. The formation of the new Province . . . certainly will open a new chapter in the life of the Anglican Communion on the continent of Africa, and also this will stimulate the growth of the Anglican Church in North and the Horn of Africa itself.
The Episcopal / Anglican Province of Alexandria have been allocated Sunday 2 August in this year’s Anglican Cycle of prayer – a date which had been allocated to the now-postponed Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops.