The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has been rejected as the leader of the Anglicans for a group of bishops of this religious denomination for being in favor of blessing the unions of same-sex couples. This was stated in one in which they explained that they no longer considered Welby as "leader of the declaration of world communion" and that they considered that the Church of England has been "descaled" as its historic "Mother Church."
"The Church of England has chosen to break communion with those provinces that remain faithful to the historic biblical faith," said the statement, signed by the bishops representing 10 of the 42 provinces of the Anglican Communion.
The world community considered its leader to the Archbishop of Canterbury since 1867, whose authority is only moral, and not like that of the Pope in the Catholic Church. According to the BBC, the ten signatories are part of a group called the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA), which affirms Anglicans worldwide and among them is the president of the GSFA, Archbishop Justin Badi of Sudan. South, along with other countries such as Chile, Myanmar or Bangladesh.
From Welby's official residence, a spokesman said he "fully appreciates" the GSFA's position, but added that "deep disagreements" among Anglicans over sexuality and marriage are long-standing and that reforms in one region are not the rules happen in the others.
“In a world of conflict, suffering and uncertainty, we must remember what unites us more than what divides us,” he said, and “despite our differences, we must find ways to continue walking and working together as followers of Jesus Christ to serve to those in need," the Lambeth Palace representative said.
no marriage permit
The bishops' statement comes after the Church of England announced last week that priests will be able to hold blessing prayers for gay couples, although it clarified that its position on same-sex marriage has not changed, so You can't get married in your church.
The motion, which was introduced by the Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally and approved by the General Synod, allowed same-sex couples to attend church after a marriage ceremony to pray as an action for grace or for that mar-blessed union.
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, one of those who supported the proposal, said the Church is "in a better place today" as a result of voting in favor of the measure. "I am very pleased that we can now bless same-sex couples who are living faithfully in a civil marriage or civil union, in the church," he stated in an interview on BBC Radio 4.
However, criticism did not wait. The Church of England Evangelical Council said it was "deeply saddened and sorry" by the move. "The Church of England now appears to have taken a course of action that rejects our historical and biblical understanding of sex and marriage," a spokesperson said.
The Archbishop of Canterbury said for his part during the global meeting of the Anglican Consultative in Ghana that in the UK he was "threatened with parliamentary action" in an attempt to "force same-sex marriage" on the Church of England. . According to "The Telegraph", Welby met with a group of MPs in the House of Commons in January.
"In recent weeks, as part of our discussions of sexuality and sober rules of sexuality in the Church of England, we have discussed our interdependence with all Christians, not just Anglicans, particularly those in the global south with other religious majorities," he said, adding that "as a result, I was twice summoned to parliament and threatened with parliamentary action to force same-sex marriage, called equal marriage in England."
