The choice of a new Archbishop of Canterbury met “with grief” by the conservative Gafcon group

“If you want to go fast, go alone – if you want to go far, go together,” said Dam Sarah Males in her first public address, with the new Archbishop of Canterbury defining.

But the choice on Friday – for the first time – to a woman as a spiritual leader of both the English Church and the World Arocession Communion, it seems that I can sharpen the deep fissures in this community.

The Global Society for the Professional of Anglicans (Gafcon), which is a network of conservative Anglican churches in Africa and Asia, received the news “with grief”.

The Church of South Africa, on the other hand, called the appointment “historical” and said “we from the heart welcome the message.”

The English Church, who calls some people the “church of the mother” because it is the first English church-is believed that it was moving in a more liberal direction than some churches elsewhere, not least in Africa, where two-thirds of the Anglicans are estimated.

The problems that divided global Anglican communion included the ordination of women bishops in 2014 and the adoption of same -sex relations in 2023.

Many conservative Christians believe that only people should be illuminated as bishops.

In a statement, the most advantageous Dr. Laurent Mbanda, the Archbishop of Rwanda and the chairman of the GAFCON Leadership Council, claims that “the majority of the Anglican communion still believes that the Bible requires bishopric only for men.”

Gafcon also objected to DAM Sarah’s support for the blessing of same -sex couples, accusing her of promoting “non -biblical and revisionistic teachings about marriage and sexual morality.”

The group was formed in 2008 in response to theological differences in the framework of Anglican communion, in particular on the issue of same-sex unions.

By the time they released a statement calling for church leaders who diverted what they called “principles of Orthodoxy” to repent.

Although they were aware that they did not break away from the Anglican communion, they rejected the idea that “the Anglican identity is necessarily determined by recognition by the Archbishop of Canterbury.”

This gap expanded in 2023, when the group rejected the leadership of the previous Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, because of suggestions for the blessing of same -sex couples, increasing fears of splitting in the church.

Gafcon claims to be talking about the bigger part of the world’s Anglicans, although this is contested and the opinion in Africa is by no means monolithic.

The Archbishop of Cape Town, Tabo McGoba, who leads the church of South Africa, called the appointment of DAM Sarah “exciting development”.

Although South Africa is considered more progressive than other countries with regard to its approach, the message was also welcomed elsewhere.

Bishop Emily Onango, the first woman to be ordained as a bishop at the Church of England in Kenya – called the news that Dam Sarah was called Archbishop, denoting “New Dawn”.

She told the BBC Focus on Africa that Gafcon’s view is neither theological nor biblical, but more “patriarchal, which is not very useful to the church.”

Bishop Onango said the new archbishop is “a humble man (who) listens to the church needs.

“When you have a firm position and do not listen to people, then there are many problems.

“The new archbishop has to deal with the peace of the continent. Women and children suffer and she has to work for peace and reconciliation.”

This puts Bishop that, contrary to the archbishop of her side, who is part of the Gafkon leadership.

When I asked the Archbishop of Rwanda if this moment could be an irreparable tearing in the World Anglican Communion, he sent me text messages that “nothing is irreparable with God, but it requires repentance.

“Gafcon has always urged the church leaders to repent and return to the teaching of the Bible. But until they do, we cannot go with them in their apostasy.”