The primates included Archbishop Foley Beach, Primate of North America & Chairman; Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, Primate of Rwanda & Vice Chairman;

Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit, Primate of Kenya; Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba, Primate of Uganda; Archbishop Henry Ndukuba, Primate of All Nigeria; Archbishop James Wong, Primate of Indian Ocean & Advisor to Primates' Council.

They ripped the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, accusing him of "duplicity" and "provocation". They stated that he clearly influenced the decision with the appointment of Stephen Knott, a partnered homosexual as the Archbishop's Dean of Appointments, who overseas senior appointments in the Church of England.

"We were deeply grieved by the recent appointment of a man who lives in a same-sex civil partnership as Dean of Canterbury Cathedral. It is a heartbreaking provocation that such a departure from biblical standards would be thrust upon the Communion in the historic See of Canterbury and in opposition to the established teaching and practice of the majority of Anglicans," the primates said in a communique.

"By empowering Mr. Knott to oversee the appointments of senior positions in the Church of England, it is hardly surprising that the recommended nominee was likewise in a same-sex relationship. Clearly, the process for appointing senior positions in the Church of England needs to be reformed, so that decisions are in the hands of those who abide by the teaching of the Church of England, especially in relation to same-sex marriage and civil partnerships, which are generally perceived as a cloak for homosexual activity."

They said that while Dean David Monteith's long term civil partnership may have gone under the radar in Leicester Cathedral, the moral character of the Dean of Canterbury has ramifications for the whole Communion.

"Canterbury has a place in our history which needs to be preserved, rather than undermined."

The primates said that while the Archbishop of Canterbury affirmed Resolution 1.10 at the recent Lambeth Conference, he will now be perceived as advocating the very opposite of this Resolution by refusing to prevent this appointment. "The so-called instrument of unity has sadly become an instrument of disunity. The tear in the fabric of the Communion has only deepened, perhaps irreparably."

Justin Welby violated the Law of Noncontradiction at Lambeth when he said both sides had prayed, done their biblical homework and come up with different conclusions on Lambeth '98 Resolution 1:10. Each side now held valid positions.

Welby simply refused to hold Anglican priests and bishops accountable for ignoring 1.10, and as a result it stirred up a hornet's nest of ongoing criticism from orthodox Anglicans. Liberals criticized the archbishop for being tolerant of homophobia and the unjust treatment of the LGBT community within the communion. That apparently has now been rectified with this new appointment.

"The Anglican Communion has over the last twenty-five years slowly but irretrievably abandoned the clear teaching of Scripture on not only matters of human sexuality but the very nature of the gospel. Yet those who remain true to the teaching of Scripture, especially in upholding Resolution I.10, are the true inheritors of the Anglican Communion."

They accused Welby of "doublespeak", saying Resolution 1:10 is our doctrine, but it is all right to disown it, because "we have studied the Scriptures over many years and prayed about it".

They said the two divergent paths cannot walk together, as the Council of Nicaea clearly demonstrated. "We deeply lament the advocacy for unbiblical practice, and the promotion of those whose lives betray an abandonment of Christian morality. The Archbishop of Canterbury has become complicit in this trend, while providing little support for biblical orthodoxy, or offering any support for those orthodox Anglicans who are mistreated in their provinces by the revisionist agenda of bishops who defy not only Resolution I.10, but the clear teaching of Jesus in Matthew 19:4-9."

The GAFCON primates said the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) was a sister movement, not a competitor, but a Gospel partner. "As our constituencies overlap significantly, we look forward with anticipation to ways in which we can mutually cooperate with GSFA."

"As GAFCON leaders, we agree with those from the Global South who pointed out that the Archbishop of Canterbury has departed from the authentic exercise of his office by normalizing and praising those who have departed from biblical teaching and practice, and giving equal place to practices that are contrary to biblical norms, as Anglicans have received them. We urge him to repent."

The primates lamented the situation in Australia, where a majority of Diocesan Bishops could not give their assent to the doctrine of the Anglican Church of Australia, that marriage is the exclusive union of a man and a woman. "We welcomed the establishment of the Diocese of the Southern Cross in Australia to provide a lifeboat for those Anglicans who could no longer remain under the jurisdiction of revisionist bishops."

Both GAFCON and GSFA bishops might now have concluded that Welby has gone over to the dark side with no way back.

You can read the full Communique here: https://virtueonline.org/communiqu%C3%A9-gafcon-primates-council-0

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