The Church of Uganda has expressed deep disappointment over the appointment of Rt. Rev. Sarah Mullaly, the Bishop of London, as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, citing her support for same-sex marriage as “unbiblical” and contrary to historic Anglican teachings.
In a statement issued on October 3, 2025, by the Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, the church described the decision as a “grievous development” that further widens the division within the global Anglican Communion.
“Our sadness about this appointment is her support and advocacy for unbiblical positions on sexuality and same-sex marriage that reveal her departure from the historic Anglican positions that uphold the authority of Scripture for faith and life,” Archbishop Kaziimba wrote.
The statement recalls that the “tear in the fabric” of the Anglican Communion began in 2003, when the Episcopal Church in the United States (TEC) consecrated a divorced man in a same-sex relationship as bishop — a move that triggered a long-standing theological and moral standoff between the Western Anglican provinces and the largely conservative Global South churches.
“This appointment has now taken the tear in the fabric of the Anglican Communion to the highest level of leadership,” the statement reads.
“There appears to be no repentance. Make no mistake, this is a grievous decision at the highest levels of the Church of England to separate itself from the vast majority of the global Anglican Communion.”
Archbishop Kaziimba reaffirmed that the Church of Uganda, as a founding member of GAFCON (Global Anglican Future Conference), no longer recognizes the Archbishop of Canterbury as having global authority over the Communion.
“As we declared in our 2023 GAFCON statement from Kigali, we no longer recognize the Archbishop of Canterbury as an instrument of communion. With this appointment, the Archbishop of Canterbury is reduced simply to the Primate of All England,” he wrote.
The statement also assures Ugandan Christians that the Church of Uganda remains firmly connected to other Biblically faithful Anglicans around the world through GAFCON and the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans.
The Archbishop emphasized that despite the growing divisions, the Church of Uganda remains committed to proclaiming the Gospel and maintaining Scriptural integrity.
“Through GAFCON and the Global South Fellowship, we are part of a worldwide communion of Anglicans who continue to proclaim the historic and Biblical faith — faithfulness to Christ and submission to the authority of Scripture,” the statement adds.
“The fields are ripe for harvest; we pray for laborers to go into the harvest. We will proclaim Christ faithfully to the nations.”
Rt. Rev. Sarah Mullaly’s appointment marks the first time in history that a woman has been chosen to serve as Archbishop of Canterbury, the symbolic head of the global Anglican Communion. However, her progressive stance on LGBTQ+ inclusion and same-sex marriage has drawn sharp criticism from traditionalist provinces across Africa and Asia.
The Church of Uganda, along with other conservative Anglican churches, has long maintained that marriage is strictly between a man and a woman — a position it considers foundational to Biblical teaching.