THE nomination of the first female Archbishop of Canterbury received mixed reaction from church leaders around the world.
The news that the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Sarah Mullally, is to be the next Primate of All England was announced by Downing Street at 10 a.m. on Friday.
A statement from the secretary-general of the Anglican Communion, the Most Revd Anthony Poggo, released at the same time, invited “the churches of the global Anglican Communion to pray for her as she prepares to take up this important ministry. May God grant her wisdom and discernment, as she seeks to listen to Member churches, encourage mutual support, and foster unity.”
He continued: “The Anglican Communion Office is fully committed to supporting her ministry as she works with other Provinces and the Instruments of the Anglican Communion.”
The Archbishop of Cape Town, Dr Thabo Makgoba, offered “warm congratulations” on behalf of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa and his family.
“The historic appointment of the first woman as Archbishop of Canterbury is a thrilling development,” he said. “We heartily welcome the announcement and look forward to working with her as we all try to respond prophetically and pastorally to what God is up to in God’s world.”
The Archbishop of Rwanda, Dr Laurent Mbanda, the chair of the Gafcon Primates Council, however, received the news with “sorrow”; he wrote in a message to Gafcon members that the nomination “abandons global Anglicans, as the Church of England has chosen a leader who will further divide an already split Communion”.
Representing Anglican leaders who have broken away from the Anglican Communion over differences in church teaching, he continued: “Though there are some who will welcome the decision to appoint Bishop Mullally as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, the majority of the Anglican Communion still believes that the Bible requires a male-only episcopacy. Therefore, her appointment will make it impossible for the Archbishop of Canterbury to serve as a focus of unity within the Communion.”
He also suggested that she had “failed to uphold her consecration vows” because she had, he said, “repeatedly promoted unbiblical and revisionist teachings regarding marriage and sexual morality”.
The Primate of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, the Most Revd Dr Justin Badi Arama, said in a statement that, while he would “of course 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”.
The statement was issued on behalf of the Global South Fellowship of Churches, which he chairs. Again, its focus was Bishop Mullally’s position on same-sex relationships, rather than her gender.
“Our position must remain as it was in our Ash Wednesday statement of February 2023 when we stated that we were no longer able to recognise the then Archbishop of Canterbury as the ‘first amongst equals’ leader of the global Communion.”
This was, Dr Arama continued, a “grievous” but “not unexpected” turn of events, and “one further symptom of the crisis of faith and authority that has afflicted the Anglican Communion for the past quarter of a century.”
On Monday, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, the Most Revd Henry C. Ndukuba, posted on social media that the nomination was “a devastating one that ignores the current situation and challenges being faced by the Anglican Communion”.
He referred to a “double jeopardy; first, in its insensitivity to the conviction of the majority of Anglicans who are unable to embrace female headship in the episcopate, and second, more disturbing that Bishop Sarah Mullally is a strong supporter of same-sex marriage”.
A statement from the diocese of Sydney, in the Anglican Church of Australia, also suggested that Bishop Mullally had “strayed from the clear teaching of scripture”. No comment was made on her gender, though the diocese does not recognise the ordination of women.
The Rt Revd Peter Hayward, writing as commissary for the Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Revd Kanishka Raffel, who is currently on leave, began by commending Bishop Mullally for her “distinguished record of public service in healthcare” and her achievements in administrative leadership.
He also said, however, that Bishop Mullally had “promoted serious error that will neither advance unity nor the mission of the church”.
“The recent trajectory of the English Church — particularly regarding issues of human sexuality, biblical authority, and unity — has caused deep concern among those who hold to the historic and reformed teachings of Scripture,” he said. The “tragic failure to uphold biblical teach” by successive Archbishops of Canterbury had “forfeited the trust of orthodox Anglicans.”
In a special message to the Communion on Friday, Bishop Mullally said that the Communion continued to fill her with “joy and hope” and that “Anglican churches strengthen one another in mission; stand alongside one another in times of adversity and speak out on matters of injustice and inequality.”
She continued: “Let us be a communion that strives to bridge divisions, look outward in compassion, and stand with the vulnerable, modelling the love of God.” She was, she said, “committed to listening deeply, serving faithfully, and fostering unity and mutual support throughout the Anglican Communion”.
Back in the Western hemisphere, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States, Dr Sean Rowe, in a statement, said that Bishop Mullally was “known in the Church of England as a wise and steady leader, a faithful advocate for the leadership of women in the church, and a bishop who will be committed to safeguarding vulnerable people and victims of abuse”.
He had, he said, written to her “to send my warmest congratulations to her, her husband, Eamonn, and their family, and to tell her how much I look forward to working with her at the primates meeting and across the Anglican Communion”.
This article was updated on 8 October with additional comments