Conservative Anglicans meeting in Nigeria’s capital Abuja have pulled back on plans to elect a rival “primus inter pares” – the Latin term meaning “first among equals” which describes the Archbishop of Canterbury’s position within the worldwide church, where Sarah Mullally is considered the ceremonial leader. Electing another person with the same title would have been seen by many as an open challenge to the leadership of the first female Archbishop of Canterbury just weeks before she formally begins the job. Instead, the group, known as Gafcon, says it is leaving behind old structures and old titles, and is now unveiling a new leadership council headed by Rwanda’s Archbishop Laurent Mbanda.
Reporters reacted with some puzzlement to news of the appointments as they were announced on Thursday, with some suggesting it still amounted to an act of defiance. Asked repeatedly whether Gafcon members still recognised the supreme authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury, spokesman Venerable Canon Justin Murff said: “The Global Anglican Council recognises Archbishop Laurent Mbanda as its leader.” There are some 95 million Anglicans around the world with the Archbishop of Canterbury as their spiritual figurehead. Later this month Archbishop Mullally will be formally installed at a ceremony in Canterbury.
But her appointment has divided opinion in Nigeria and elsewhere, with many conservative Christians believe that only men should be consecrated as bishops. At Thursday’s press conference, Gafcon insisted doctrine was at the heart of their differences with the Church of England, not gender or sexuality.
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