Raymond J. de Souza: Bishop rebellion over gay marriage could doom Anglican Church

Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

In the judgement of the several archbishops from the global south, the Church of England has moved right out of biblical orthodoxy

The 70th anniversary of the late Queen’s coronation passed on Friday, with the coronation of her son fresh in the memory. Much was made of the changes in royal protocols and practices in the intervening seven decades. Speculation abounded not only about the longevity of the new sovereign — the oldest ever to be crowned in Britain — but of the royal house itself. What would the overseas realm do about their new king?

Yet the more precarious position was actually occupied by the one crowning, not the one crowned. Just weeks before the coronation, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Justin Welby, lost a great deal of his flock. In response to a decision of the Church of England to offer blessings to same-sex couples, archbishops representing 10 of the 42 provinces in the Anglican Communion declared that the Church of England was “disqualified” as the “mother church” of Anglicanism, and that they no longer recognized the Archbishop of Canterbury as “first amongst equals” in the global communion.

The Anglican communion is made up of 42 provinces around the world that are independently governing. The Archbishop of Canterbury has no authority outside of the Church of England, but is recognized as having primacy as an “instrument of communion,” fostering unity and common witness across a wide array of cultures and races. That is no small thing.

The Church of England moved with the times though, and now, in the judgement of the several archbishops from the global south, it has moved right out of biblical orthodoxy.

While the 10 archbishops, mostly from the “Global South,” are numerically a minority in the Anglican communion, they govern a majority of Anglicans in the world. One hundred years ago, three quarters of all Anglicans lived in Britain. Now 60 per cent are in Africa.

Bishops from the Global South made exactly that point when they declared that same-sex blessings “run contrary to the faith and order of the orthodox provinces in the Communion whose people constitute the majority in the global flock.”

It will take some getting used to, that the Archbishop of Canterbury is no longer a significant global Christian leader, except by historical reference. Fewer Anglicans in England go to church on Sunday than Catholics in England, despite nominal Anglicans being ten times greater in population. The Archbishop of Canterbury does not lead the majority of practising Christians in England, and no longer leads the global Anglican communion in any real sense.

Does this matter? Yes.

The archbishops representing the majority of Anglicans may choose another titular leader, or do without one altogether, but it will not be possible to replicate the global voice of “Cantuar,” as that office has been known since St. Gregory the Great sent Augustine to preach to the “Angles” more than 1400 years ago. A significant, enduring religious voice will be diminished, if not lost.

Earlier this year, before the coronation, Welby made a historic trip to South Sudan with Pope Francis and the Right Reverend Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the Church of Scotland. Just before leaving Rome, Pope Francis spoke against laws criminalizing homosexuality, while confirming Christian teaching that homosexual acts were sinful. The issue is pressing, as some African countries are considering laws which prescribe harsh criminal penalties for homosexuality. Uganda recently passed a law so severe that it includes the death penalty.

While the impact of global Christian leaders on that debate in Africa may be limited, the “disqualification” of the Church of England from recognized leadership means that the Anglican voice is divided and thus weaker still. That has real and regrettable consequences.

In sheer numbers, Anglicans are far smaller than Catholics, Orthodox and Pentecostals. But numbers are not the only consideration, and the Anglican patrimony, which extends farther back than even the Church of England, has treasures to offer, in terms of theology, letters and liturgy. Anglicanism provides a certain convivial sensibility, all the more welcome in a fractious time. Losing all that due to doctrinal deviations is a loss for all Christians.

At some future coronation, it may be that both Cantuar and the King are only vestigial rulers, inheritors of ancient offices emptied of their influence.