Bishop Luwalira welcomes Church of Uganda’s break away from Canterbury

Namirembe Diocese Bishop Wilberforce Kityo Luwalira has commended the Anglican Church leaders for taking a firm decision to cut ties with the Church of England.
The clergy, who gathered in Kigali, Rwanda, from April 17 to April 21, for the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Gafcon), took a stand to break way following the February General Synod’s resolution to allow clergy to bless same-sex unions.
Presiding over the confirmation ceremony for more than 100 children held at St Peter’s Church in Kisaasi, Kampala yesterday, Bishop Luwalira said the Church of Uganda cannot bow to the pressure from people who are doubting God’s authority by allowing gay activities in church.

“We are talking about people from the West, who have come to erode our values and identity. We commend those who went to Kigali and still talked against gay activities. We pray for them to continue being spiritually sensitive and know what they are supposed to do for the church to remain firm and focused,” he said.
Bishop Luwalira also urged the parents to pray for their children to get knowledge and be able to differentiate between what is good and what is bad so that they don’t fall prey to gay activities.

While presenting his statement at the closure of this year’s Gafcon, Archbishop Kaziimba said Church of Uganda would not recognise the Church of England’s General Synod decision to provide prayers of blessing for same-sex unions, something he said was not part of the Bible.
The Archbishop used the same occasion to announce a break away from Canterbury.
“Archbishop of Canterbury has abdicated his historic place as the ‘First among Equals’ among the Primates and Churches of the Anglican Communion, and we no longer recognise him as our leader,” Archbishop Kaziimba said.
He added: “The Church of England’s General Synod decision to provide prayers of blessing for same-sex unions and the Archbishop of Canterbury’s enthusiastic support for it are decisions we can’t recognise and have resulted in breaking fellowship with him and the Church of England.”

The breakaway implies that all decisions taken by the Church of England will not be abided by the Anglicans in Uganda.
The Church of Uganda will continue to follow the Bible teaching that condemns all other sexual relationships rather than the union between one man and one woman.
Archbishop Kaziimba also resolved that the Church of Uganda will fully support the Gafcon Mission Movement and Global South as the newly authenticated Anglican Church structure and a global home that honours Jesus Christ as Lord, Saviour and the authority of the Bible.
The Church of Uganda will also continue to commit to resolution 1.10 from the 1998 Lambeth Conference that declared homosexuality as incompatible with scripture. He advised against legitimising or blessing of same-sex unions.
This comes at a time when President Museveni has returned the Anti-Homosexuality Act to parliament with proposed improvements.

Archbishop Kaziimba said the return of the Act to Parliament will produce a better law that serves and protects all Ugandans.
“We appeal to Parliament and the President to re-draft the Bill to create legislation that provides greater protection for children and youth from grooming and trafficking, and provide restrictions on promotion of LGBTQ+ relationships. It will also provide restrictions on those convicted of sexual offenses from being employed in organisations that work directly with children,” he said.