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3 August 2022

Archbishop Justin Welby affirms gay sex is a sin for the Anglican church

The archbishop, however, said churches in the UK that conduct or bless same-sex marriages won't be punished.

By Emily Maskell

Words: Emily Maskell; pictures: Wiki Commons

Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the global Anglican church, has affirmed: “the validity” of a 1998 declaration that states gay sex is a sin.

However, he also clarified that he would not punish or exclude churches in the UK that conduct or bless same-sex marriages.

Welby, 66, was speaking at the once-a-decade Lambeth conference in front of more than 650 bishops when he said to question the biblical teaching was “unthinkable”.

“In many countries, [it] would make the church a victim of derision, contempt and even attack. For many churches, to change traditional teaching challenges their very existence,” Welby said, the Guardian reports. 

Welby also sent a letter to bishops noting that the 1998 resolution, known as Lambeth 1.10 – which “upholds faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman in lifelong union”  was “not in doubt”.

The Church of England’s divided stance on same-sex relationships has been the subject of debate for decades.

Conservative church leaders, like Justin Badi Arama, the archbishop of South Sudan, called for bishops attending the conference to explicitly support the 1998 declaration, ensuring same-sex relationships and marriages are not legitimised. 

“We are living at a time of great spiritual confusion and moral flux. The church of Jesus Christ cannot afford to lose its moorings in holy scripture and drift with the world,” Arama said.

“Based on the need to establish clear doctrine on marriage and sexuality at this defining moment for the Anglican communion, this conference must reaffirm the biblical teaching of Lambeth,” Arama continued. 

He added that Bishops who are either in same-sex relationships or support same-sex marriage have “distanced themselves from the way of God”.

On the other hand, church LGBTQ+ equality campaigners highlighted that although Welby won’t punish LGBTQ+ supporting churches, his reaffirmation of Lambeth is disappointing. 

“I feel deeply angry that yet again priority has been given to saving a manmade institution over protecting LGBTQ+ people’s lives,” Jayne Ozanne, Founder of The Ozanne Foundation, tweeted.

“Let us be clear that Lambeth 1.10 encourages ‘conversion therapy’ and negates the God-given love between two individuals,” she continued. “It is a stick with which many of us have been beaten and will continue to suffer under around the world.”

She added that they “look forward to the day when we all may feel truly welcomed, valued and affirmed”.

In response to the recent conference, Ozanne noted that eight archbishops and over ninety bishops, across Australia, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, Scotland, USA, and Wales have signed a statement saying “many LGBT+ people have historically been wounded by the church and particularly hurt by the events of the past few weeks”.

The Attitude September/October issue is available to download and order in print now and will be on newsstands from Thursday 4 August.

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