A conservative group of 12 Anglican archbishops from around the world have signed a resolution saying they will no longer recognize the Archbishop of Canterbury as head of the Anglican Communion following the Church of England’s decision to allow priests to bless same-sex unions. .
Monday’s announcement marked the beginning of what could be a historic split in the Church of England. As CBN News reports, over the years the Church of England has made doctrinal changes pitting the growing global LGBT sexual agenda against biblical moral teachings. This has led to conflict between church leaders and members.
This is why the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) has now said in a statement that it will no longer support the Rt Hon & Most Revd Justin Welby as “leader of the global union”.
“He unfortunately led his House of Bishops to make proposals based on the General Synod’s petition on ‘Living in Love and Faith’, knowing that they were contrary to the faith and order of the Orthodox Provinces of the Eucharist, whose people are the majority.” In the world flock. We pray that the cessation of our support for him to preside over the entire Eucharist will be accepted by him as an exhortation of love,” the statement said.
The GSFA also said the Church of England had “disqualified itself from administering the Eucharist as the historic ‘Mother’ Church.
“The Church of England has decided to break communion with those states which adhere to the historic biblical faith expressed in the Anglican Formulas (39 Articles, Book of Common Prayer, Canon and Sermon Book) and applies Marriage and Sexuality 1998 Lambeth Conference Lambeth 1.10 in the resolution,” the archbishops said.
Our calling to be a ‘holy remnant’ does not allow us to be in ‘communion’ with those provinces that have departed from the historic faith and taken the path of false teaching. “to the faith once given” (Jude 3) and to us,” the group said.
Earlier this month, the General Synod of the Church of England welcomed proposals to allow same-sex couples after a civil marriage or civil partnership to come to church to give thanks, dedicate their LGBTQ relationship to God and receive the church’s blessing.
Citing the action of the General Synod of the church, the Bible-believing archbishops said: “We believe that it is no longer possible to continue like the Eucharist. We do not accept the view that we can still “walk together” with the revisionist. regions”.
The archbishops also explained that the actions of the Church of England strengthened “their determination to work together to re-establish the Eucharist and to ensure that the re-established Eucharist is marked by reform and renewal”.
The statement was signed by the GSFA Archbishop of South Sudan, Justin Badin, along with the archbishops of Chile, Congo, Myanmar, North America, Bangladesh, Uganda, Sudan, Brazil and Melanesia.
Since its formation in 1867, the current Archbishop of Canterbury has assumed the role of spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, a worldwide fellowship of 42 Anglican churches.
The archbishop has no formal authority, but instead has moral authority and is considered “first among equals,” the BBC reports.
Lambeth Palace, the official seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, says that no formal changes can be made to the structure of the Anglican Communion without the approval of the four governing documents of the Eucharist.
“The deep divisions within the Anglican Communion over sexuality and marriage are not new. The 42 member churches of the Anglican Communion are independent and autonomous, but at the same time interconnected. It is a fundamental principle of the Anglican Communion that there is no state. may bind another province, and no instrument of the Eucharist has any jurisdiction over any province,” the chamber said in a statement.
Conservative Anglican churches, including some in Africa, which represent nearly half of the world’s estimated 100 million Anglicans, have already severed ties with churches that support liberal teaching and practice on homosexuality, including the U.S. Episcopal Church, according to The Wall Street Journal of .
This is the first time that the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury has been rejected by such a large group of churches, the BBC reports.
The decision of the 12 Anglican bishops is seen by church followers as a setback for the Archbishop of Canterbury.
“It will be very difficult for Archbishop Welby to rehabilitate himself and the Church of England after this, unless, perhaps, he gets the English bishops to back down from their recent proposals to bless same-sex relationships,” the Church of England, which promotes traditional teaching in the Church of England, told The Journal. society’s director Reverend Lee Gettys.
The GSFA says that with the Church of England and the Archbishop losing their leadership role in the world communion, the leaders of the GSFA will quickly meet, consult and work with other orthodox leaders of the Church of England in different nations to restore the Eucharist. on its biblical basis.
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As CBN News reported in January, the Church of England said it would not allow same-sex marriages in its churches, but would allow priests to bless same-sex couples who are in civil marriage.
The decision followed six years of debates and consultations about the church’s position on sexuality.
Under the proposals, the Church of England’s position that the sacrament of marriage is limited to unions of one man and one woman will not change. However, after having a civil wedding or registering a civil partnership, same-sex couples will be able to offer a church service with prayers of dedication, thanksgiving or God’s blessing.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in England and Wales since 2013. The Church did not change its teaching when the law changed.
Welby admitted the proposals “will seem far-fetched to some and not so far-fetched to others”.
“This response reflects the diversity of the Church of England’s views on sexuality, relationships and marriage. I am happy with that diversity and I welcome this way of reflecting it in the life of our church,” said Welby.
The Church of England launched its Living in Love and Faith project in 2020, which it describes as an exploration of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage within the age-old Anglican institution.
Unlike the Catholic Church, the Church of England does not exercise authority over other members of the Anglican Communion. Many Anglican churches in Africa oppose same-sex marriage because it contradicts the scriptures on marriage found in the Bible.
