Friction has long brewed within the global Anglican Communion over the stark differences of its 42 provinces over whether to recognize same-sex marriage and ordain LGBTQ clergy. The divisions widened this year when conservative bishops affirmed their opposition to LGBTQ inclusion and demanded “repentance” from provinces with inclusive policies.
Caught in the middle is the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who is the chief bishop of the Church of England and the ceremonial leader of the Anglican Communion. He has recognized the “deep disagreement” of the provinces, while urging them to “walk together” as far as possible.
The split came to light four months ago at the communion’s Lambeth Conference, which brings together bishops from more than 165 countries with Anglican-affiliated churches. It was the first Lambeth Conference to which married gay and lesbian bishops were invited.
Conservative primates from Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda refused to attend, while other bishops who share their opposition lobbied unsuccessfully for the gathering to reconfirm a 1998 resolution rejecting same-sex marriage.
Now those primates and their allies around the world await a conference in April in Kigali, Rwanda. They are expected to discuss their dismay at some Anglican churches’ support for same-sex marriage and Welby’s approach.
Welby says neither he nor the Lambeth Conference have the authority to discipline provinces or sue.
In Nigeria, Anglican leaders say a formal separation from the global church is more likely than ever. They cite Welby’s Lambeth comments and the appointment of the Most Reverend David Monteith, who has been in a same-sex civil partnership since 2008, as the new dean of Canterbury Cathedral.
Bishop Williams Aladekugbe of the Anglican Diocese of Northern Ibadan in Nigeria said “we cannot continue to fellowship” with provinces that recognize “ungodly and devilish” same-sex unions.
“If they don’t worship God as we worship him, if they don’t believe what we believe… let’s divide (and) go our own way,” Aladekugbe told The Associated Press.
The umbrella group for the Conservative bishops is the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GFSA). Its steering committee is headed by the Archbishop of South Sudan, Justin Badi, and includes archbishops from Bangladesh, Chile, Congo, Egypt, the Indian Ocean region, and Myanmar.
In Lambeth, the committee issued a stern statement, in effect demanding that its LGBTQ views prevail throughout the Anglican Communion and that “revisionist” provinces be disciplined or marginalized.
That threat was directed at provinces that have adopted LGBTQ-inclusive policies, including the Episcopal Church in the United States and Anglican churches in Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales. The Church of England refuses to perform same-sex marriages, but some of its bishops want that to change.
GFSA leaders argue that Conservative-run jurisdictions are home to 75% of the world’s Anglican Communion population, estimated to be between 80 and 85 million.
“For too long the Anglican Communion has been driven by the views of the West,” Badi told the media during the conference. “We often feel that our voice is not heard or respected.”
In Lambeth, by contrast, Welby praised the sincerity of the LGBTQ-inclusive provinces: “They are not sloppy with the Scriptures…they have arrived at a different view of sexuality after long prayers, deep study and reflection on the understanding of human nature.
The Most Rev. Michael Curry, presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church, saw this as a breakthrough.
“What changed in the rhetoric,” he said, “was a genuine recognition that both sides had arrived at their views through serious study of Scripture, theology, and modern understanding of human nature.”
The Tory bishops’ frustrations with Welby escalated in October when Monteith was appointed the new dean of Canterbury Cathedral.
Although Welby did not personally make the appointment, he issued a statement expressing his satisfaction. Within days, the GSFA’s steering committee expressed dismay and questioned Welby’s commitment to the unit.
LGBTQ activists say most Anglican churches in Africa are led by conservative priests, including many reluctant to even speak out about homosexuality and some fearful of losing their flock to more conservative evangelical groups.
“For Uganda, the Anglican church has almost played a leading role in being bigoted,” said Frank Mugisha, a prominent LGBT leader in the East African country where a lawmaker once introduced legislation seeking to punish some homosexual acts with execution. .
A significant event occurred in November, when Steven Croft, the Bishop of Oxford, became the church’s first diocesan bishop to speak out in favor of same-sex marriage. He published an essay calling for an end to the ban, and five other bishops publicly endorsed it.
At stake, he said, was the Church of England’s claim to serve all of society. Her anti-LGBTQ stance “is leading to a radical dislocation between the Church of England and the culture and society we try to serve,” she said.
