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.”
A former secretary-general of the 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”.
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”.
