White House Criticises Episcopal Church of USA for Not Helping 49 Afrikaners Resettle

• The White House's Press Secretary Anna Kelly slammed the Episcopal Church of the United States for refusing to help resettle the 49 Afrikaners who relocated to the country
• The church's bishop, Sean Rowe, wrote a letter to the congregants and said that the church would not help them when other refugees were more deserving of their help
• Kelly alleged that the South African government terrorised and brutalised Afrikaners, though she gave no examples to support the allegations

Tebogo Mokwena, a dedicated Briefly News current affairs journalist, contributed coverage of international and local social issues like health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests and immigration in South Africa during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

WASHINGTON, DC, USA — The White House's Press Secretary Anna Kelly slammed the Episcopal Church in the United States for refusing to assist the 49 Afrikaners who left South Africa to live in the US as refugees.

White House unhappy with Episcopal Church

Kelly released a statement, which journalist Sherwin Bryce-Pease shared on his @sherwiebp X account. She said the church's decision to terminate its partnership with the United States government because of a refusal to help the Afrikaners resettle raised serious questions about its commitment to humanitarian aid.

Kelly said that religious groups should support the alleged plight of Afrikaners. She claimed that Afrikaners have been brutalised, terrorised and persecuted by the South African government.

Kelly did not provide evidence to substantiate her claims. She echoed the same false allegations as President Donald Trump when she said Afrikaners have faced unspeakable horrors. Kelly added that refugee resettlement should be about need, not politics.

Read the X tweet here:

What you need to know about the Afrikaner resettlement

• Donald Trump accused the media of not providing adequate coverage to the alleged white genocide in South Africa.
• AfriForum's CEO, Kallie Kriel, said Afrikaners' culture cannot survive in the United States or anywhere outside of South Africa, and reiterated that Afrikaners are willing to remain in South Africa.
• Controversial poet Ntsiki Mazwai took to social media to celebrate the departure of the 49 Afrikaners to the United States.
• The United States government officially launched its Refugee Admissions Program and extended it to minority groups other than Afrikaners.
• Kriel also criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa for calling the Afrikaners who left South Africa cowards, accusing him of alienating Afrikaners and refusing to condemn calls for Afrikaners to be killed through the singing of the Kill the Boer chant.

What you need to know about the Episcopal Church

The Episcopal Church is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States and part of the global Anglican Communion. It was officially established in Philadelphia, emerging as the American successor to the Church of England after the American Revolution. While it has its governance, the Episcopal Church has kept close ties to the Church of England in terms of beliefs, worship, and church structure.

Over the years, the church has taken several steps that sparked debate both within its ranks and across the wider Anglican world. It made history by electing the first female bishop in the Anglican Communion. She didn’t lead the diocese but supported the diocesan bishop. Since then, several other women have also been elected as bishops.

Another milestone came in 2003, when the church consecrated an openly gay man as bishop of New Hampshire. The move drew sharp criticism and led to tensions within the Anglican Communion. In response, leaders of the global Anglican churches agreed the following year to temporarily pause the appointment of bishops in same-sex relationships.

Khumbudzo Ntshavheni applauds Afrikaners who reject persecution claims

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, applauded the Afrikaners who do not believe that there is a persecution of Afrikaners in South Africa. She also said the 49 Afrikaners who left the country are not a threat to its sovereignty.

Ntshavheni responded to questions in the National Council of Provinces on 13 May, and called for an investigation into those who are spreading false information about the country. She said the government's transformation agenda could not be compromised.

Source: Briefly News