Justin Welby’s LGBT record leaves issues for successor to address

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has announced his resignation following reports of child abuse within the Church of England (C of E).

Mr Welby will resign following the Makin Report, an independent inquiry into British barrister John Smith, who is accused of abusing more than 100 boys and young people. published last week.

However, he initially refused to resign, saying he had “thought it through”, but now believes it is his “personal and organizational responsibility” to step down.

Mr Welby, who has been archbishop since 2013, has a divisive past on LGBTQ+ rights within the Church of England, and his resignation leaves questions that his successor will need to address.

From gay weddings to the widening rift between Anglicans worldwide over progressive social attitudes, here are some of his key moments on LGBTQ+ issues.

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church wedding For same-sex couples

Last year, the CofE made it clear that it does not allow same-sex marriages in churches. However, there was an agreement to bless same-sex couples. Around the same time, Mr Welby claimed he had been “summoned twice to Parliament and threatened with parliamentary action” in an attempt to force the church to perform same-sex marriages.

The move allows same-sex couples to attend church services, including devotions, prayers of thanksgiving, and God’s blessing on a legal wedding.

But despite this promising move, there are still calls from Anglican bishops to “reject” “homosexual acts”.

At the 2022 Lambeth conference, opposition bishops claimed that the “power of God” would help homosexuals “order relationally”.

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Groundbreaking initiative with PinkNews in 2014

In 2014, Welby became the first Anglican primate to give an interview with an LGBTQ+ media publication in an interview with Pink News.

In an exclusive interview with Pink News, when asked if he had a message for the community, he replied: The act of sexual marriage is law, and that it is right and proper. It’s the law of the land and that’s great.

“We are grappling with a problem throughout the church around the world. It is complex. [by] The impacts are extremely difficult to address in many parts of the world. ”

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gay priest

The Church of England has allowed gay and lesbian priests to enter into civil partnerships since 2005. Transgender priests have been allowed to serve since 2000.

Now, the General Assembly of the Church of England has approved a proposal to allow gay clergy to marry.

The church’s legislative body has begun steps toward allowing same-sex civil marriages between two clergy, or a clergyman and a layperson (not ordained as a deacon, priest, or bishop). The proposal passed 22-12 in the House of Bishops, 99-88 among clergy, and 95-91 among laity.

The next step is for church leaders to discuss the proposal, which is expected to take place in February.

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Division within the Anglican Church Regarding homosexuality

In the shadow of Welby’s resignation, leaders of the Anglican Church of Uganda said the archbishop had divided the global communion.

Archbishop of Uganda Stephen Kazimba issued a statement on Wednesday (13 November) saying that the Church’s “failure to defend the historical and Biblical teaching” of the C of E on marriage and family has undermined the church’s confidence in Welby’s authority. He detailed what he had lost. .

“Unfortunately, this is the same compromised leadership that has torn apart the fabric of the Anglican Communion at its deepest levels,” Kajiimba argued.

The two had been at odds for years, and their differences were primarily rooted in C’s E’s stance on homosexuality.

Last year, Kajiimba supported Uganda’s strict anti-gay laws, which prohibit advocacy and promotion of LGBTQ+ rights. The new law includes a provision for “aggravated sodomy,” defined as sex with a minor or an HIV-positive person, and is punishable by death.

Welby wrote to Kaziyimba condemning the law, stating:

“I am intimately familiar with the history of colonial rule in Uganda, which our people heroically resisted, but this does not mean imposing Western values ​​on our sisters and brothers in the Anglican Church of Uganda. No. It’s about reminding them of our promise to treat everyone with the care and respect they deserve as children of God.”

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