African archbishops to snub Welby in new storm over gay marriages

TRADITIONALIST archbishops are planning to boycott a summit of Anglican leaders chaired by the Archbishop of Canterbury because he is seen as too liberal over homosexuality.

It is understood at least two African archbishops will not attend the October gathering as Archbishop Justin Welby has also invited their liberal counterparts from the US and Scotland, who already conduct gay marriages in church.

Insiders said four or five other conservative archbishops from Africa and Asia could also boycott the Canterbury summit of the leaders of the 70 millionstrong Anglican Communion, of which the Archbishop of Canterbury is nominal leader. The snub would be a fresh blow to Archbishop Welby’s efforts to prevent a permanent split in global Anglicanism.

It also comes after conservatives provocatively consecrated a ‘missionary’ bishop on Friday to minister to traditionalists in the UK. At the US service, the Archbishop of Nigeria, Nicholas Okoh, urged the new bishop, former British tank commander Canon Andy Lines, to ‘avoid fruitless controversies... and meetings’.

However, Archbishop Welby is also coming under fresh pressure from Church of England liberals to lift the ban on same-sex marriages in English churches. The Dean of Westminster Abbey, John Hall, broke his silence last week to urge the reform.

A source close to the conservative archbishops said that some had decided not to go to the summit and some were still making up their minds.

He added: ‘If the Archbishop of Canterbury wants to be certain of having the majority of the Anglican Communion in attendance, it isn’t complicated. He can choose not to invite those few, small provinces who have unrepentantly torn the fabric of the Communion.’