Cardinal responsible for Ecumenism: Appointment of female Anglican Archbishop of Canterburycould strain dialogue

The appointment of Sarah Mullally (63) as the spiritual leader of the Anglican Church of England could have a negative impact on Catholic-Anglican dialogue. This was made clear by Cardinal Kurt Koch, head of the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, on Sunday at a symposium in Vallendar near Koblenz, as reported by the German Catholic News  Agency.

Bishop Koch explained that the bishop's positions on sexual ethics had led to the split of the conservative alliance Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) from the Church of England. This raises the question for the Catholic Church of who its ecumenical partner will be in the future: "With whom will we engage in dialogue if the Anglican Communion is so deeply divided?"

In 2023, the General Synod of the Church of England, on the recommendation of the bishops, decided to develop a "comprehensive pastoral program" to welcome LGBTQI+ people—that is, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, intersex, queer, and people of other gender identities. This met with considerable resistance, particularly in Africa. As a result, the theologically conservative Anglican network GAFCON broke away from the Church of England.

A few weeks ago, Bishop Sarah Mullally of London was appointed by King Charles III as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, thus becoming the spiritual head of the Church of England and honorary head of the Anglican Communion. She is the first woman to hold this office, which she is expected to take up in March.

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