The primate of the Anglican Church in North America, the Most. Rev. Robert Duncan has left the Gafcon conference in Nairobi before the start of the first session to undergo emergency dental surgery in the United States.

Archbishop Duncan attended the Sunday Eucharists at All Saints Cathedral and lunched with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, but he reported being in great pain due to a tooth abcess. Dr. Glen Petta, the director of SOMA and a delagate to the conference and a retired dentist, performed emergency surgery to relieve the fluid build up in the abcess, and recommended the archbishop return home immediately for surgery.

Bishop Bill Atwood, Bishop of the International Diocese of the ACNA, told delegates at the Monday dinner of the archbishop’s condition and asked for prayers for the archbishop — and space to allow him a peaceful recovery. With this unexpected illness, the ACNA archbishop will now have missed both Gafcon meetings.

Update: 21 Oct 2012 22:00 Nairobi Time — The archbishop’s surgery performed by Dr. Glen Petta at a dentist’s office in Nairobi was succesful and the archbishop feels well enough to continue with the conference.