ACK WILL NOT BLESS GAY COUPLES, DISTANCES ITSELF FROM CHURCH OF ENGLAND'S NEW LGBTQ+ RESOLUTION

ACK WILL NOT BLESS GAY COUPLES, DISTANCES IT- SELF FROM CHURCH OF ENGLAND’S NEW LGBTQ+ RESOLUTION

By Mike Njoroge | mikenjoroge21@gmail.com | image courtesy: Pulse Ghana

Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit (left) of Kenya when he visited Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace in 2016. Ole Sapit has said Kenya is not subject to the recent resolution by the Church of England allowing priests to bless same sex unions. [Photo credit: Lambeth Palace].

The Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) says the Church of England’s recent resolution to allow priests to bless same-sex civil unions does not apply to the Anglican communion in Kenya and that it is “extra-biblical and contrary to the teachings of the Bible.”

In a statement on February 10, the Archbishop of Kenya, Rev. Dr. Jackson Ole Sapit also said ACK stands in solidarity with those in the Church of England who are resolved to stay true to the traditional teachings of marriage as per the Holy Scriptures.

“We pray for them that they will not surrender their light of Christ to the powerful secular voices that have captured the church,” Ole Sapit said.

ACK is not within the jurisdiction of resolutions arrived at during the General Synod of the Church of England, with the Archbishop of Kenya saying, “The General Synod of the Church of England makes legislations for the Church of England, and their resolutions only apply to the Church of England.”

On February 9, the Church of England’s General Synod voted to permit Anglican priests to make prayers of blessings for same sex couples. According to a BBC report, the move does not affect the Church’s stand on homosexual marriage as same sex couples still cannot be married in church.

The General Synod’s resolution mentioned that priests can bless gay couples, but can also opt out. For that, individual churches in England would have to state clearly whether they would allow for prayers of blessings for same-sex unions in their churches, so as to avoid “disappointment and confusion.”

The General Synod is the national assembly of the Church of England and according to its website it “considers and approves legislation affecting the whole of the Church of England, formulates new forms of worship, debates matters of national and international importance, and approves the annual budget for the work of the Church at national level.”

Currently, it is comprised of 483 members under three houses --- House of Bishops, House of Clergy and House of Laity. The resolution, which passed in all three houses, saw a vote of 250 to 181 in favour of the resolution.

The General Synod also stated that it will seek to apologise for the harm it has caused to LGBTQ+ people.

Civil partnerships and civil marriages are allowed across the United Kingdom for same sex couples, but the same does not apply in Kenyan law.

Archbishop Ole Sapit sided with what has been the traditional teachings of marriage when his statement reads, “We affirm that marriage, as taught in the Holy Scriptures is between one man and one woman, monogamous and heterosexual.”

“Any deviation from this God designed covenant relationship is sinful and unacceptable,” the Archbishop of ACK added.

For a number of years, the LBTQ+ question has been discussed at the Church of England’s General Synod, stemming from ordination of homosexual practicing priests to gay couples.

The move by the Church of England has received laudment and criticism in equal measure, meaning the debate is set to rage on.

According to The Guardian, the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA), which represents churches in 24 countries and provinces including Kenya, has said the Church of England’s new stance “goes against the overwhelming mind of the Anglican Communion”.

GSFA is also calling into question the fitness to lead of the Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Welby is the head of the global Anglican communion and was present at the Church of England General Synod by virtue of being the Bishop of the Church of England.

Other discussions being considered during the General Synod of the Church of England included considering whether to start using gender neutral pronouns when referring to God.