By Yiep Joseph
Global South Fellowship of Anglican (GSFA) Churches acknowledged Justin Welby’s resignation and vowed to pray for the victims.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, head of the Church of England and spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion, resigned on Tuesday after an investigation found that he failed to tell police about serial physical and sexual abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps as soon as he became aware of it.
According to the pastoral statement issued by the Most Rev. Dr. Justin Badi Arama, Archbishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, and GSFA Chair, the group of churches vows to pray for the victims and the family of Welby.
“We should hold in our prayers the many who were scarred by this experience and for whom this dramatic turn of events will stir up traumatic memories and revisited distress. It is also a time of great personal challenge for the archbishop himself and his family, who are coming under great strain. We continue to uphold them in prayer during this difficult time,” Badi said in the statement.
The GSFA recognizes the observations, findings, and recommendations of the Makin Report, including the danger of a church culture in which what is expedient takes priority over the values for which the church stands.
The body expressed emphasis on Biblical and spiritual principles that could protect and prevent such incidents from happening.
“As we proceed with the Cairo Covenant, our fellowship will hold fast to paramount biblical and spiritual principles, including those of fostering a safe church and implementing oversight over best safeguarding procedures in the interests of all groups, parishioners, stakeholders, and vulnerable persons who operate within the Anglican Communion,” he said.
Badi expressed that the current event would act as a lesson for Anglican leaders to strengthen professionalism and accountability.
“There has never been a more challenging time for Global Anglicans to come together and for senior church leaders to exercise their professional responsibilities to review and upgrade their safeguarding procedures and to be held accountable for timely oversight and church discipline,” he said.