Global South Anglicans move to ‘re-set’ the Anglican Communion, no longer recognise the Archbishop of Canterbury as leader

The Leaders of the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans has responded to the Church of England’s move to bless same sex relationships by calling for the anglican communion to be “re-set.”

The “primates” (leaders of national churches) declare “, the Church of England has chosen to break communion with those provinces who remain faithful to the historic biblical faith expressed in the Anglican formularies.” 

They add “The GSFA is no longer able to recognise the present Archbishop of Canterbury, the Rt Hon & Most Revd Justin Welby, as the “first among equals” Leader of the global Communion.”

The Global South group including South East Asia, and Congo and South Sudan, has been regarded a conservative but possibly less Militant than the Gafcon (Global anglican Futures conference) group which included the largest Anglican churches such as Nigeria and Kenya. Australia’s diocese of Sydney and the new Anglican Church in North America relates to both groups. these conservatives represent a clear majority of the world’s Anglicans.

Conservative Anglicans will work together. The Global South statement says they “look forward to collaborating with Primates and bishops in the GAFCON movement and other orthodox Anglican groupings to work out the shape and nature of our common life together and how we are to keep the priority of proclaiming and witnessing to the gospel of Jesus Christ in the world foremost in our life as God’s people.

Local churches and networks in progressive regions of anglicanism will receive support. “GSFA Primates will carefully work with other orthodox Primates to provide Primatial and  episcopal oversight to orthodox dioceses and networks of Anglican churches who indicate their need and who consult with us.”

The Global South group reject the idea of a slow five year investigation of how the Anglican Communion might be reformed, suggested at last week’s meeting of the anglican consultative counci. “We do not accept the view that we can still “walk together” with the revisionist provinces as prescribed by the Anglican Communion Office and in the exploratory way proposed by IASCUFO (Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith & Order) at the recent Anglican Consultative Council (ACC)-18 meeting.”

The conservatives in the Anglican Communion are building their unity, overcoming differences between the Gafcon and GSFA groups and appear set to take control of the Anglican communion, building new structures if needed.

The GSFA statement indicates that the conservative majority and progressive minority in the Anglican Communion (the United Staes, Brazil, New Zealand and Canada) are headed towards parallel fellowships.

12 of the 14 GSFA provinces signed the statement.

1. Archbishop Justin Badi ( Primate of South Sudan & Chair of GSFA )

2. Archbishop Hector (Tito) Zavala ( Primate of Chile & Vice-Chair of GSFA )

3. Archbishop James Wong ( Primate of Indian Ocean , GSFA Steering Committee member )

4. Archbishop Titre Ande ( Primate of Congo , GSFA Steering Committee member)

5. Archbishop Stephen Than ( Primate of Myanmar , GSFA Steering Committee member)

6. Archbishop Foley Beach ( Primate of North America, GSFA Steering Committee member )

7. Archbishop Samuel Mankhin ( Primate of Bangladesh , GSFA Steering Committee member )

8. Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba ( Primate of Uganda )

9. Archbishop Ezekiel Kondo ( Primate of Sudan )

10. Archbishop Samy Shehata ( Primate of Alexandria )

11. Archbishop Miguel Uchoa Cavalcanti ( Primate of Anglican Church in Brazil )

12. Archbishop Leonard Dawea ( Primate of Melanesia )

The full GSFA statement is here.