Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The Episcopal Church of South Sudan (ECSS) has described as unbiblical and unorthodox leadership the Church of England’s appointment of Rt Rev’d Dame Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, making her the first woman to hold the post in the history of the Anglican Church.
A former NHS chief nurse, the 63-year-old became a priest in 2006 and was appointed as the first female Bishop of London in 2018 – the third most senior member of clergy in the Church of England.
It is the first time in nearly 500 years of history that the Church nominated a woman to lead it.
The Church had been without someone in the top job for almost a year, after Justin Welby resigned over his failure to report a prolific child abuser.
In a statement issued Friday, The Most Rev’d Dr. Justin Badi Arama, Archbishop and Primate of the ECSS, acknowledged the historic nature of the appointment but reiterated South Sudan’s firm position on upholding traditional Christian teachings, particularly on matters of marriage and church leadership.
“It is sad that this newly appointed Archbishop is a supporter of same-sex marriage,” the Archbishop said.
He pointed to a statement by Dame Mullally in February 2023 where she described the Church of England’s decision to allow priests to bless same-sex couples as “a moment of hope.”
The Chair of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches, Archbishop Badi said the ECSS does not recognize what he termed “unbiblical and un-orthodox leadership.”
“Our position as the Episcopal Church of South Sudan is to uphold the traditional Christian teaching on marriage and to proclaim the biblical Anglican faith,” he stressed.
The letter emphasized that the ECSS will continue its participation in the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches and the GAFCON renewal movement, distancing itself from recent liberal shifts within the Church of England regarding same-sex unions.
Despite the disagreement, the Archbishop affirmed continued respect and prayerful support for the Church of England.
“We continue to uphold the Church of England in prayers as we also pray for ourselves,” the statement concluded.
Primate Badi argues that the ECSS has long been aligned with conservative Anglican values, and this development further highlights the theological divisions within the global Anglican Communion, particularly between the Global North and the Global South.
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