Appointment of gay archbishop has widened rift in church over morality

Catholic faithfuls during the Good Friday Way of the Cross procession in Nakuru City on April 18, 2025. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

Across societies, the idea of womanhood is never neutral or abstract. It is socially constructed, morally guided, and culturally affirmed. In traditional African worldviews, womanhood is not an isolated biological or individual category. Rather, it is a relational identity—a role shaped by family ties, kinship, work, childbearing, raising children, moral responsibilities, and communal belonging. Dignity and agency arise within these social and moral networks, not apart from them. This relational understanding shapes African perspectives on the recent appointment of the Most Revd Cherry Vann as Archbishop of the Church in Wales.

As the first woman and first openly gay person to hold the office, her appointment has been celebrated by some and contested by others. She reported that delivering her first Christmas message drew varied reactions. Some members chose to leave the Church, citing her appointment as a departure from Anglican orthodoxy due to her openly gay identity and her position as the first woman gay Archbishop committed to LGBTQ+ inclusion. Beyond the symbolism lies a deeper ethical question: How should institutions claiming moral authority handle the tension between evolving cultural norms and inherited moral frameworks? From an African decolonial standpoint, this is not merely a British matter but one with global implications.