Choice of new Archbishop of Canterbury met “with sorrow” by conservative group Gafcon

“If you want to go quickly, then move on your own – if you want to go away, look together,” said Ms. Sarah Mulali in her first general address as the head of the Canterbury bishop.

But the choice of Friday – for the first time ever – for women as a spiritual leader for both the Church of England and the Anglican Communication, it really seems to have exacerbated the deep cracks within this society.

The global fellowship of the Anglican recognition (GAFCON), a network of conservative Anglican churches throughout Africa and Asia, has grown with the news “sadly”.

The Church of South Africa, on the other hand, described the appointment of “my historical” and said, “We strongly welcome this announcement.”

The Church of England-which some people call the “mother church” because it was the first Anglican Church-is a wide range that it moved in a more liberal direction than some churches elsewhere, not the least in Africa, where estimates indicate that two thirds of the Anglican people live.

The issues that divide the Anglican International Company included the consolidation of the bishops for women in 2014 and the acceptance of gay relationships in 2023.

Many conservative Christians believe that men should only be dedicated as bishops.

In a statement, Dr. Laurent, the head of the Archbishop of Rwanda and Chairman of the Gavucon Command Council argued that “the majority of the Anglican company still believes that the Bible requires a bishop for males only.”

GAFCON also objected to Mrs. Sarah’s support for the blessing of husbands of the same sex, accusing her of promoting “non -written teachings and review related to marriage and sexual ethics.”

The group was formed in 2008 in response to theological differences within the Anglican company, especially on the issue of unions of the same sex.

At a time when they issued a statement, the church leaders who moved away from what they called the “Orthodox principles” of repentance.

While they were clear that they were not separated from the Anglican company, they rejected the idea that “the Anglican identity is necessarily determined by recognition by the head of the Bishop of Canterbury.”

This rift expanded in 2023, when the group rejected the leadership of former Bishops of Canterbury, Justin Willby, on the proposals of the husbands of the same sex, which increased fears of division in the church.

Gafcon claims that he talks about the majority of Anglican people in the world, although this is being competed, and opinion throughout Africa is not in any way.

Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabu McGoba, who leads the South Africa Church to appoint Mrs. Sarah, launched a “exciting development”.

Although South Africa is more progressive than other countries in terms of its approach, the announcement was also welcomed elsewhere.

Bishop Emily Uniango – the first woman to be appointed as a bishop in the Anglican Church in Kenya – launched the news that Mrs. Sarah was called the head of the bishops “a new dawn”.

She told BBC Focus on Africa that GafCon’s view was neither theological nor the sacred book, but it is more “patriarchal, which is not very useful for the church.”

Bishop Onango said that the new bishop was “a humble person [who] He listens, which is what the Church needs.

“When you have a strict position and do not listen to people, then there [are] Many problems.

“The new bishop needs peace on the continent. Women and children suffer, and they need to work for peace and reconciliation.”

This puts the bishop of UNINGO at odds with the bishop of her country, which is part of the GafCon leadership.

When I asked the head of Rwanda’s bishops about whether this moment could be an irreplaceable rupture in the Anglican company around the world, he wrote me that “nothing cannot be repaired with God, but it requires repentance.

“Gafcon has always called for the church leaders to sin and return to teaching the Bible. But even they do so, we cannot walk with them in their apostasy.”