Archbishop of Uganda protests appointment of LGBTQ+ ally to lead Anglican Church
Ugandan Archbishop has history of protesting queer acceptance in Anglican Church
Archbishop of the Church of Uganda Rev. Steven Kaziimba Mugalu is not happy with the appointment of the Dame Sarah Mullally as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, saying that her “support and advocacy” for same-sex marriages is unbiblical.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) on October 3, the head of the Anglican Church in Uganda described the appointment as a tear in the fabric of the Anglican Communion and a grievous decision at the highest levels of the Church of England to separate itself from the vast majority of the global Anglican Communion.
“I am writing to share the sad news that the Rt. Rev. Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London, has been appointed as the next Archbishop of Canterbury. Our sadness about this appointment is her support and advocacy for unbiblical positions on sexuality and same-sex marriage that reveal her departure from the historic Anglican positions that uphold the authority of Scripture for faith and life…. Church of Uganda considers this appointment to further deepen the tear in the fabric of the Anglican Communion that began in 2003 with the [Episcopalian Church] consecration as Bishop of a divorced father of two living in a same-sex relationship,” Kaziimba wrote.
He was referring to Gene Robinson, a gay priest who was promoted to bishop by the Episcopal Church, which is the American branch of the Anglican Communion.
Worldwide, 85 million people in 165 countries worship at churches of the Anglican Communion, which consists of churches that are descendants of the Church of England. Among them is the Church of Uganda, which represents about a third of Ugandans. The Church of Uganda and several other Anglican provinces formed the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (GAFCON) in 2008 to protest against the growing acceptance homosexuality within the Anglican Church.
On October 3, the UK Prime Minister’s Office announced that the king had approved Mullally’s nomination as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, the most senior cleric in the Church of England. She will be the first woman to hold the position, and had been previously serving as Bishop of London since 2018, the third-highest position in the church.
Born in Woking in 1962, Bishop Sarah became a Christian at the age of 16. Prior to her ordination in 2001, she was the Government’s Chief Nursing Officer for England – the youngest person ever to be appointed to that role – having previously specialised as a cancer nurse.
“As I respond to the call of Christ to this new ministry, I do so in the same spirit of service to God and to others that has motivated me since I first came to faith as a teenager,” Mullally said in her acceptance remarks. “At every stage of that journey, through my nursing career and Christian ministry, I have learned to listen deeply – to people and to God’s gentle prompting – to seek to bring people together to find hope and healing. I want, very simply, to encourage the Church to continue to grow in confidence in the Gospel, to speak of the love that we find in Jesus Christ and for it to shape our actions. And I look forward to sharing this journey of faith with the millions of people serving God and their communities in parishes all over the country and across the global Anglican Communion. I know this is a huge responsibility but I approach it with a sense of peace and trust in God to carry me as He always has.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s ministry combines many roles including serving as the Bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury, Primate of All England and Metropolitan, as well as first among equals of the Primates of the global Anglican Communion.
But Kaziimba says that this appointment reduces the Archbishop of Canterbury simply to the Primate of England.
But according to Lord Evans, Chair of the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) for Canterbury, Mullally’s nomination followed a process of wide consultation and prayerful discernment that began in February this year. The Canterbury CNC was made up of representatives from across the Church of England, the global Anglican Communion and the Diocese of Canterbury.
Kaziimba is not a stranger to opposing decisions made by the Church of England. He protested the appointment of Cherry Vann as the Archbishop of Wales, accused Canterbury of promoting same-sex marriages, and he has previously announced a decision by the Church of Uganda to walk away from the Church of England.
Kaziimba’s statement opposing the appointment of Bishop Sarah was met with rebuke from both pro and anti-rights groups and individuals in Uganda.
“The Archbishop of Uganda calls LGBTQ people a ‘tear in the fabric’ of the Church. I remind him: we are not a tear, we are God’s beloved. The true wound comes from exclusion & fear, not love. The Gospel is fulfilled in inclusion,” leading Ugandan LGBTQI+ rights advocate Frank Mugisha wrote on X.
“The Bible has been used to justify slavery, segregation, and now LGBTQ+ exclusion. Let’s read it again but this time with eyes open to justice, love and truth. The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda has rejected the leadership of Bishop Sarah Mullally because she affirms LGBTQ+ inclusion. But exclusion isn’t holy. It’s history repeating itself,” the Universal Coalition of Affirming Africans Uganda posted on X.
While Mullally is currently considered the Archbishop of Canterbury-designate, she is expected to be officially elected by the College of Canons of Canterbury Cathedral before Christmas. A confirmation election will be held at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London on January 28, and she will take office in March.
