New Archbishop of Canterbury’s leadership will not be Recognized by South East Asia

Dr. Titus Chung

PRESS RELEASE

The Province of the Anglican Church in South East Asia

5 October 2025

Your brothers and sisters in Christ,

The Lord be with you!

Recent announcement of the appointment of the Rt. Rev'd Dame Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury has been subject of much attention and response. We continue to pray for the Church of England and the See of Canterbury as Bishop Sarah takes on this role.

As a Province we must express our unease and reservation over her appointment. Bishop Sarah chaired the Living in Love and Faith project in the Church of England which led to the decision in 2023 to allow the blessing of same-sex marriages. She described the decision as “[a] moment of hope.”

This is a departure and a total misalignment from what Scripture teaches regarding marriage and sexuality. It is also a departure from traditional Anglican orthodoxy. Article 20 of the 39 Articles of Religion states that “it is not lawful for the Church to ordain anything that is contrary to God's Word written.”

On one hand, from a Provincial perspective, the appointment of Bishop Sarah does not affect us substantively because each province is autonomous. At the same time, we cannot deny that the Archbishop of Canterbury has played a role of significant influence in the history of the Anglican Communion. As such, the appointment of an Archbishop of Canterbury who, in the course of her work, was instrumental in the unacceptable compromise of Scripture places us in a challenging and invidious position. With respect, under God's overarching presidency, we will not be able to recognize her as the “first amongst equals,” both in terms of leadership and influence within the Global Anglican Communion.

We had earlier prayed in hope that the next appointee of the Archbishop Canterbury would be a candidate who upholds Scripture and the same God-given principles of orthodox faith that we practice and affirm in our Province. The failure to do so was a missed opportunity for the Global Anglican Communion to find common cause and reunite through affirmation of traditional teachings of God's Word.

We recognize that many members of our Dioceses are understandably concerned about the appointment and the state of the Anglican Communion. As a Province we are well-versed and committed to the principles that we stand for, and we urge you to join us in prayer for God's truth and purpose to ultimately prevail. May He grant us discernment and use us to shine forth His light in a time of darkness. Glory be to God!

With every blessing in Christ,

++Titus Singapore

The Most Revd Dr. Titus Chung

Bishop of Singapore

Primate of the Province of the Anglican Church in South East Asia