The Archbishop Church of Uganda Dr. Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu has expressed disappointment at the appointment of Sarah Mullaly as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, noting that the church of Uganda rejects her appointment.
In a statement shared on his X account hours after the announcement, Archbishop Kaziimba noted that the decision was a “grievous development” that is set to further widen the division within the global Anglican Communion.
“Our sadness about this appointment is her support and advocacy for unbiblical positions on sexuality and same-sex marriage that reveal her departure from the historic Anglican positions that uphold the authority of Scripture for faith and life” he said.
He added, “As a founding member of GAFCON Global Anglicans, Church of Uganda considers this appointment to further deepen the tear in the fabric of the Anglican Communion that began in 2003 with the TEC consecration as Bishop of a divorced father of two living in a same-sex relationship”.
Archbishop Kaziimba noted that the tear in the fabric of the Anglican Communion has now reached the highest level of the Communion with no repentance seen in insight any time soon.
“Make no mistake, this is a grievous decision at the highest levels of the Church of England to separate itself from the vast majority of the global Anglican Communion” he said.
Archbishop Kaziimba further offered prayers for believers in the Church of England who he described as disillusioned by the appointment and extended the church of Uganda’s hand of fellowship to them through GAFCON and the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans.
“As we declared in our 2023 Gafcon statement from Kigali, we no longer recognize the Archbishop of Canterbury as having global authority and the office is certainly no longer an “Instrument of Communion” he said.
Archbishop Kaziimba noted that with the appointment, the Archbishop of Canterbury is reduced simply to the Primate of All England.
The Archbishop emphasized that despite the growing divisions, the Church of Uganda remains committed to proclaiming the Gospel and maintaining Scriptural integrity.
“Likewise, we want to assure our Christians in the Church of Uganda that, through Gafcon and the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans, we are part of a worldwide communion of Anglicans who continue to proclaim the historic and Biblical faith of Anglicanism, faithfulness to Christ and submission to the authority of Scripture” he said.
Archbishop Kaziimba reassured Christians that the future of a Gospel centred mission in the Anglican tradition is bright.
“The fields are ripe for harvest; we pray for laborers to go into the harvest.” As we declared at our 2018 Gafcon meeting in Jerusalem, “We will proclaim Christ faithfully to the nations” he said.
Rt. Rev. Sarah Mullaly’s appointment marks the first time in history that a woman has been chosen to serve as Archbishop of Canterbury, the symbolic head of the global Anglican Communion.
However, her progressive stance on LGBTQ+ inclusion and same-sex marriage has drawn sharp criticism from traditionalist provinces across Africa and Asia
The Church of Uganda, along with other conservative Anglican churches, has long maintained that marriage is strictly between a man and a woman — a position it considers foundational to Biblical teaching.
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