The Episcopal/Anglican Church appoints an assistant bishop for the archbishop in the province of Alexandria

The Episcopal/Anglican Province of Alexandria announced today, Monday, the approval of the Executive Committee of the Province and the Diocese of Egypt to appoint Anthony Ball, who is British, as an assistant bishop for Dr. Samy Fawzy, Archbishop of the Episcopal/Anglican Province of Alexandria, to assistance in serving in the dioceses of Egypt, North Africa, the Horn of Africa and Gambella.

Archbishop Dr. Samy Fawzy Shehata, in a statement, expressed his happiness with the approval of the Executive Committee of the Province and the Diocese of Egypt to choose Anthony Ball as his assistant, stressing that the Archbishop of Canterbury witnessed last October the inauguration ceremony of the Episcopal/Anglican Province of Alexandria, which represents a new beginning for the Church in North Africa and the country.  But it required the appointment of new leaders to participate in the development and growth of the Church’s service.

The Archbishop added: Canon Anthony Ball has supported ecclesiastical service in Egypt and North Africa for many years in addition to his long experience in the Middle East, which prompted the Executive Council of the Province of Alexandria and the Diocese of Egypt to approve his appointment as Assistant Bishop.

The Archbishop thanked Westminster Abbey  in which Anthony Ball serves, after it agreed to this partnership in the service of the gospel, as well as for the support of the church at this pivotal time in the life of the Alexandria region, stressing that the service of consecrating Anthony Ball will be held on the thirtieth of November at All Saints Cathedral in Cairo.

On his behalf, Canon Anthony Ball expressed his great enthusiasm for serving in the Alexandria region, stressing that Egypt, in particular, played an important role in his faith journey, and that he looks forward to developing his current relationship with the Church in Egypt and building new relationships with all the countries of the region, which includes ten African countries, Egypt. Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, Chad, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia, and is currently headed by Egypt.

The elected assistant bishop continued: With each of the ten countries covered by the Province offering distinct opportunities and challenges for Christian witness, exploring ways to serve their needs locally and to connect those with my ministry at Westminster Abbey, and the life of the Anglican Church in England, will be transformative.

While Dr. David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster Abbey, in which Canon Ball serves, considered that his being chosen for the post of Assistant Bishop for the Province of Alexandria is a measure of the deep appreciation enjoyed by Anthony Ball, who has a close relationship with the Church in the Middle East, stressing that Canons of Westminster have often given time to serving the wider Church.

It is worth noting that Canon Anthony Ball graduated from the British University of Durham and later joined the diplomatic corps and worked in foreign positions in the Middle East and Spain, during which time he has ordained a priest. His last position was in Damascus, where he served as an envoy of the Archbishop of Canterbury to the heads of the Orthodox churches in Syria and Lebanon, in addition to his work at the British Embassy and as an Anglican chaplain.

From there, he moved on to join Archbishop Rowan Williams’ staff at Lambeth Palace, where he was responsible for advising on Anglican, ecumenical, inter-religious, and international relations and is currently the Rector of St Margaret’s Church at Westminster Abbey.