Elected were: Archbishop Philip Freier from Australia for East Asia, Archbishop John Holder from the West Indies for the Americas, Archbishop Thabo Makoba from South Africa for Africa, Archbishop Richard Clarke from Ireland for Europe, and Archbishop Mouneer Anis from Egypt and the Middle East for West Asia.

Melbourne Archbishop Philip Freier, Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia, has been elected to the worldwide Communion’s Primates’ Standing Committee, part of the the global Anglican Church’s top consultative group, the Anglican Consultative Council.

He was one of five Primates voted on to the committee, by regions, at last week’s meeting of the world’s 38 Anglican Primates at Canterbury, England, called by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

Dr Freier represents the Asia Pacific region of the global church, which claims 85 million members in 165 countries, the world’s third largest Christian group after the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches.

He was elected by the Primates of the Asia Pacific – Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Myanmar, South-East Asia, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia, and Aoteroroa NZ and Polynesia. Archbishop Stephen Than from Myanmar is the alternative representative if Dr Freier cannot attend meetings.

The other Primates elected to the Standing Committee were Archbishop John Holder from the Caribbean for the Americas, Archbishop Thabo Makoba from South Africa for Africa, Archbishop Richard Clarke from Ireland for Europe, and Archbishop Mouneer Anis from Egypt and the Middle East for Asia.

Among the meetings Dr Freier will attend this year are the Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, in April and the ACC Standing Committee meeting in September in London.