The Church of Uganda has started a process to officially split from Canterbury, the seat of the Anglican Church worldwide following its decision to allow priests bless same-sex marriages and civil partnerships.
In its Thursday vote, the national assembly of the Church of England voted to allow priests bless same-sex marriages and civil partnerships but maintained the ban on Church weddings for same couples. Reports indicate that the blessings are expected to begin later this year after the Church of England refines its guidance and issue supplemental prayers and liturgies for the priests to use.
The decision made by the Church of England general synod comes after five years of discussions about their position on the matter. The general synod comprises of Bishops, clergy and lay people.
The Most Rev. Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda says that the resolutions by the General Synod of the Church of England are of great concern to the Church of Uganda.
He told journalists this morning that the Province will next week start meetings that will climax into the split from Canterbury around April, when church leaders under the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) movement are scheduled to meet in Kigali, Rwanda.
According to Kaziimba, the House of Bishops and the Provincial Assembly are united on the matter and will not allow walking the path of the Church of England.
The Church of Uganda already cut ties with the Episcopal Church of America, except for those who joined the GAFCON movement which was formed in 2008 in Jerusalem after more than 1,000 members of the Anglican Church broke away from the Lambeth Conference citing moral compromise, doctrinal error, and the collapse of biblical teachings in parts of the Anglican Communion.
Dr Kaziimba says that the Church of Uganda position on the issue remains rooted in the biblical teachings.
“From the first page of the Bible in the book of Genesis to the last page of the Bible in the book of Revelation, it is clear that God’s design for human flourishing is that we are part of a family – a family that is defined as one man and one woman united in holy matrimony for life and, God willing, a union that produces children. God’s Word has said that the only context for sexual relationships is in the context of a marriage of one man and one woman,” the Archbishop says.
Kaziimba notes that any other kind of marriage that is not between one man and one woman is a sin.