I was pleased to accept the invitation of Archbishop Samy Shehata to the consecration in Tunis of Dr. Ashley Null as diocesan bishop for the Anglican Church in North Africa and to bring greetings from the Anglican Communion and its Secretary General, Bishop Anthony Poggo. 

Modern-day Tunis adjoins ancient Carthage, the port which became one of the major centres of early Western Christianity. This was where Cyprian, the third-century bishop-theologian, was martyred, and where St. Augustine spent formative years of his life. It was also the place of martyrdom of the two outstandingly courageous young women, Perpetua and Felicity. We were able to visit the cell in the ancient arena where they were likely kept before being led out to their death. The East Window in St. George’s Tunis (pictured above) depicts these saints and martyrs, who have done much to shape our faith even down to today.  

The consecration brought together bishops, clergy and lay people from many different countries, as well as local Roman Catholic and representatives. On the right of the photo is Bishop Antony Ball, Ashley’s predecessor, who is now the Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome. North Africa is a neighbouring diocese to Europe – it is only 125 miles from Tunis to the coast of Sicily - so I was pleased to be able to support their ministry personally as well as on behalf of the Anglican Communion.

Bishop Ashley Null is a serious scholar who retains an academic post in Berlin, and is a world leading authority on Thomas Cranmer. He had designed the liturgy to reflect Cranmer’s theological insights. Dressed in a Canterbury cap (one needs a hat in the North African sun), Bishop Ashley could quite easily have been mistaken for a reincarnation of Cranmer himself. 

The consecration was the centre-piece of a celebratory weekend in Tunis, that included concerts and visits to the ancient sites. Of course, as Archbishop Samy reminded us in his sermon, Christian ministry in the Islamic context of North Africa is hard, and the consecration is really just the honeymoon ahead of likely sacrifice and possible suffering. 

I am thankful for those such as Felicity, Perpetua and Cyprian who gave their lives for their faith in this region in the early Christian centuries. I hope and pray that Bishop Ashley will be a good shepherd to his people and a faithful witness of Christ’s saving love. 

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