Big win ‘conservative’ Anglicans after crucial talks 

Archibishop of Canterbury Justin Welby on during press conference at the State House in Juba on January 30, 2014. Only the Archbishop of Uganda Stanley Ntagali walked out of the summit called by the Anglican spiritual leader to discuss views on homosexuality and gay marriage within the church. PHOTO | AFP

What you need to know:

  • The decision will also be seen as a victory for the Archbishop of Canterbury as religious commentators had predicted a split within the church over the issue.

  • Victory for Gafcon and its supporters also represents a power shift within the church to the south, and in particular Africa.

Sunday Nation Correspondent, London

The 85 million strong Anglican Church appears to have avoided a formal split after African Archbishops succeeded in maintaining the traditional view of marriage, between a man and a woman, after four days of difficult talks in Canterbury.

Contrary to expectations, only the Archbishop of Uganda, Stanley Ntagali, walked out of the summit, called by the Anglican spiritual leader, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Centerbury, to discuss views on homosexuality and gay marriage within the church.

Kenya’s Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, also a member of the Gafcon Conservative group of Primates, a group of conservative Anglican churches formed to “guard and proclaim the unchanging Gospel”, did not follow him and neither did the rest of the 38 provinces.

TRADITIONAL DOCTRINE

This may in part be seen as a victory for the conservative majority after archbishops overwhelmingly agreed to impose sanctions against the liberal Episcopal US church and issued a statement in support of the “traditional doctrine” that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

“The traditional doctrine of the church in view of the teaching of the Scriptures upholds marriage as between a man and a woman in faithful, lifelong union. The majority of those gathered reaffirm this teaching,” a statement released after the summit ended said.

“We gathered as Anglican primates to pray and consider how we may preserve our unity in Christ given the ongoing deep differences that exist among us concerning our understanding of marriage.”

The statement went on to say that the decision of the Episcopal Church with respect to a change in their Canon on marriage, in effect legalising same-sex marriages, represented “a fundamental departure from the faith and teaching held by the majority of our Provinces on the doctrine of marriage.”

The decision will also be seen as a victory for the Archbishop of Canterbury as religious commentators had predicted a split within the church over the issue with a best-case scenario being a looser federation of affiliated churches.

But the victory for Gafcon and its supporters also represents a power shift within the church to the south, and in particular Africa, where most of the Anglican communion is now found.

The summit also in effect banned the North American Episcopal Church from ecumenical and interfaith bodies and said it would not be allowed to take part in decision making on any issues pertaining to doctrine or polity. It will, however, remain part of the Anglican communion.