If you want to go fast, go alone - if you want to go far, go together, Dame Sarah Mullally stated during her inauguration as the new Archbishop of Canterbury designate. The significance of her appointment as the first woman to lead both the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion cannot be understated, yet it is stirring tensions within the community.
The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Gafcon), a coalition of conservative Anglican churches primarily located in Africa and Asia, responded to Mullally's selection with disappointment. In contrast, the Church of Southern Africa touted the appointment as a historic moment, welcoming it with enthusiasm.
The Church of England, often referred to as The Mother Church of Anglicanism, has pursued a more liberal direction compared to its counterparts, particularly in Africa, which hosts approximately two-thirds of the global Anglican population. Major concerns that fragment the worldwide Anglican community include the ordination of women bishops, approved in 2014, and acceptance of same-sex relationships in 2023.
Many conservative members assert that bishops should be male only—a belief emphasized by Gafcon's Archbishop of Rwanda, Dr. Laurent Mbanda. He contended that scriptural teachings do not support a female episcopacy.
Furthermore, Gafcon rebuked Dame Sarah's endorsement of blessing same-sex couples, framing it as a deviation from biblical doctrine. Since its inception in 2008, Gafcon has voiced its opposition to what they deem a shift away from orthodox teachings within the Anglican Communion, urging church leaders to repent for diverging from scriptural values.
This ideological divide intensified in 2023 when Gafcon rejected the authority of former Archbishop Justin Welby over proposals to bless same-sex unions, raising fears of a schism.
While Gafcon posits to represent the majority of Anglicans globally, this claim remains contested, and the perspectives across African nations are not uniform. The Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, praised the new archbishop as a thrilling development.
Notably, Bishop Emily Onyango of the Anglican Church of Kenya heralded Mullally's appointment as indicating a new dawn. She noted that Gafcon's posturing is not theologically sound but rather patriarchal—impeding the Church's role in addressing issues such as peace and reconciliation affecting women and children in Africa.
Inquiries received by the Archbishop of Rwanda suggest that while there is hope for reconciliation, the challenge remains significant. In his statement, he implied that overcoming this rift will hinge on a collective return to biblical teaching.
