Global Anglican Community Divided Over Historic Female Archbishop of Canterbury Appointment

Sat Oct 11 2025 06:04:21 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The recent appointment of Dame Sarah Mullally as the Archbishop of Canterbury has sparked contrasting reactions across the Anglican community, highlighting a deep divide over gender and inclusion in the church.

Dame Sarah Mullally's selection as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury has led to polarized responses within the Anglican Communion. While the conservative Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Gafcon) expressed sorrow over the decision, others, particularly in more liberal contexts such as Southern Africa, welcomed the historic appointment. The division underscores ongoing tensions around issues like the ordination of women and acceptance of same-sex relationships, raising questions about the future unity of the church.

If you want to go fast, go alone - if you want to go far, go together, Dame Sarah Mullally said in her first public address as the new Archbishop of Canterbury designate.

But Friday's choice – for the first time ever - of a woman as the spiritual leader of both the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion already seems like it may exacerbate the deep fissures within that community.

The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Gafcon), which is a network of conservative Anglican churches across Africa and Asia, received the news with sorrow.

The Church of Southern Africa, on the other hand, called the appointment historic and said we heartily welcome the announcement.

Sarah Mullally named as new Archbishop of Canterbury

The Church of England – which some people call The Mother Church because it was the first Anglican Church – is broadly considered to have moved in a more liberal direction than some churches elsewhere, not least in Africa, where it is estimated that two-thirds of Anglicans live.

The issues which divide the global Anglican Communion included the ordination of women bishops in 2014 and the acceptance of same-sex relationships in 2023.

Many conservative Christians believe that only men should be consecrated as bishops.

In a statement the Most Reverend Dr Laurent Mbanda, Archbishop of Rwanda and chairman of Gafcon's leadership council, argued that the majority of the Anglican Communion still believes that the Bible requires a male-only episcopacy.

Gafcon also objected to Dame Sarah's support for the blessing of same-sex couples, accusing her of promoting unbiblical and revisionist teachings regarding marriage and sexual morality.

The organization, formed in 2008 in response to theological differences within the Anglican Communion, claimed to speak for the majority of the world's Anglicans. The Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, who leads the Church of Southern Africa, called Dame Sarah's appointment a thrilling development. However, views across Africa remain contested.

Bishop Emily Onyango - the first woman ordained as a bishop in the Anglican Church of Kenya - called Dame Sarah's appointment a new dawn and emphasized the importance of listening in leadership.

As the Anglican Church faces significant challenges regarding gender and equality, Dame Sarah's leadership may serve as both a unifying and divisive force within this global communion.