Sarah Mullally’s appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury is a ‘missed opportunity’, say Global South Anglicans

The appointment of Sarah Mullally as the subsequent Archbishop of Canterbury is “a missed opportunity to reunite and reform the Anglican Communion”, Global South Anglicans have said. 

The appointment of Mullally, the present Bishop of London, was announced on Friday. 

She will change into the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury and the primary ever woman to carry the position when she is installed at Canterbury Cathedral next March. 

She previously led the Church of England’s Living in Love and Faith consultation on marriage, sexuality and gender identity which paved the way in which for its approval of same-sex blessings. 

Her appointment has been contentious amongst conservative Anglicans due to her liberal views on marriage and sexuality. 

After the Church of England’s General Synod approved same-sex blessings in February 2023, Mullally called it a “moment of hope” for the Church. She also told a reporter that “stable, faithful relationships” between two men or two women could possibly be blessed, in clear contradiction to historic Christian teaching and the Church of England’s own official doctrines.

The Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) has added its voice to other traditionalist Anglicans who’ve responded to her appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury with disappointment. 

GSFA Chairman and South Sudan Primate, Archbishop Justin Badi Arama, said that her endorsement of the Church of England’s same-sex blessings meant that the GSFA would must adopt the identical stance because it did together with her predecessor, Justin Welby. The GSFA formally rejected him as spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion after he backed the blessings. 

“While we will in fact pray for Bishop Mullally as she assumes this historic position, we feel compelled to say that we feel this appointment is a missed opportunity to reunite and reform the Anglican Communion,” said Archbishop Badi. 

“In June, we issued an open letter to the Crown Nominations Commission urging that ‘the subsequent Archbishop of Canterbury must be someone who will uphold the orthodox faith shared by the good majority of world Anglicans’.

“So we’re deeply saddened that the person still perceived by many to be the spiritual leader of now some 100 million Anglicans worldwide has played a number one role within the Church of England’s departure from Anglican tradition and the clear teaching of Scripture in matters of marriage and sexuality.” 

Archbishop Badi went on to say that the GSFA’s position was unchanged and that it was not capable of recognise the Archbishop of Canterbury because the ‘first amongst equals’ leader of the Anglican Communion. 

“Grievous though this turn of events is, it shouldn’t be unexpected and is one further symptom of the crisis of religion and authority that has afflicted the Anglican Communion for the past quarter of a century,” he said.

“To treatment this, the GSFA offers to all orthodox Provinces a framework of covenanted relationships, rooted in an explicit commitment to orthodox Anglican doctrine and mutual accountability which we commend to the entire Communion as a matter of urgency. 

“Only in this manner, we imagine, will or not it’s possible to revive confidence, clarity and unity as we proceed to obey our Lord’s Great Commission to make disciples of all nations.”

Bishop Andy Lines, Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Network in Europe (ANiE), which is aligned with Gafcon, said the appointment of Bishop Mullally “demonstrates the imposition of the worldview of elites from the Western world moderately than a desire to interact with and unite faithful Anglicans from different cultures for the sake of gospel mission”. 

“Anglican churches, Dioceses and Provinces all over the world that are growing and  thriving are those which adhere to traditional Christian teaching,” he said.

“There are many such congregations which remain within the Church of England. Our prayers and support are with  them as they determine what to do within the face of this appointment.” 

The ANiE is a separate jurisdiction from the Canterbury structures and has oversight by the orthodox Gafcon movement, which got here out strongly against Mullally’s appointment on Friday. 

Gafcon Chairman, Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, called on her to “repent” over her support for same-sex blessings, saying that otherwise orthodox Anglicans wouldn’t find a way to recognise her leadership. 

“This appointment abandons global Anglicans, because the Church of England has chosen a pacesetter who will further divide an already split Communion,” he said. 

Archbishop Mbanda continued, “Since the newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury has did not guard the religion and is complicit in introducing practices and beliefs that violate each the ‘plain and canonical sense’ of Scripture and ‘the Church’s historic and consensual’ interpretation of it (Jerusalem Statement), she cannot provide leadership to the Anglican Communion.”

Bishop Lines echoed these sentiments, saying that a “large majority” of the Anglican Communion “won’t find a way to work with Dame Sarah in her recent role due to her support for ‘unbiblical and revisionist teachings regarding marriage and sexual morality’, and more broadly, the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s track record of departure from key features of historic Christian doctrine and ethics”.