Archbishop Stanley Ntagali of Kampala has released a statement welcoming Monday’s vote by the General Synod of the Church of England to allow for the appointment of women bishops.
The Primate of Uganda, the Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali, Archbishop of Kampala, has released a statement welcoming Monday’s vote by the General Synod of the Church of England to allow for the appointment of women bishops. A statement given to Anglican Ink during a break in the Ugandan House of Bishops retreat on 16 July 2014 said:
The canons (laws) of the Church of Uganda indicate that anyone who is ordained is eligible to be elected as a Bishop. “We do not have a problem with women becoming bishops in the Church of Uganda or elsewhere,” said Archbishop Stanley Ntagali.
The Anglican Communion is comprised of autonomous Provinces. So, the Church of England’s decision to consecrate women as Bishops is a decision that applies to their Province alone. We recognize there are some members of the Church of England who do not support the ordination of women and we appreciate the careful work of their General Synod to make provisions for their conscientious objection.”
“In Uganda, we have women priests and Archdeacons, and many of them work for the church in various capacities,” said Archbishop Stanley. “We have ordained women since the 1980’s, so we have qualified women who could be elected Bishop.”
As a GAFCON Province, we support the 2013 Nairobi Communique that said, “We affirm the ministries of women and their vital contribution to the life of the church.” The Nairobi Communique also said, “We recognize that we have differing views over the roles of men and women in church leadership.”The Church of Uganda is one of the Provinces that believes the ordination of women is Biblical and whose canons permit the consecration of women as Bishops in the Church.
The most important matter in selecting Bishops is their personal commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, an apostolic calling, and a demonstrated commitment to living and leading under the authority of God’s Word written.
