As the new Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Sarah Mullally, begins her tenure, she will not be able to count on the support of her brethren from warmer climes.
The conservative alternative to the worldwide Anglican Communion, GAFCON (the Global Anglican Futures Conference), consisting largely of southern hemisphere clergy, has rejected the authority of Dame Sarah, England’s former Chief Nursing Officer, as her appointment contravened the doctrine of male headship.
GAFCON met in Nigeria in March to choose an alternative archbishop, but after a “late night move of the Holy Spirt”, according to Premier, the leaders decided instead to replace GAFCON with the more permanent sounding Global Anglican Council (GAC). The GAFCON bishops have appointed a chairman of GAC rather than an archbishop – Archbishop Laurent Mbanda of Rwanda.
Her appointment contravened the doctrine of male headship
GAFCON originally rejected the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury under Dame Sarah’s predecessor, Justin Welby, when the Anglican Church put forward proposals to bless same-sex relationships – a move which Archbishop Mullally supported.
And being the wrong gender will further leave Dame Sarah out in the cold, challenged by even greater difficulties for global Anglican unity than her predecessor.8