Public apologies by Anglican archbishops for historic or institutional failings are hardly newsworthy and can all too easily be regarded as a costless way of establishing their progressive credentials with the guardians of secular orthodoxy, but recently an Anglican archbishop has taken responsibility for his own actions in a very personal apology which sets a precedent for profound cultural change.
In January, it came to light that recently-retired Archbishop of Uganda and GAFCON Primate Stanley Ntagali had been conducting an adulterous affair with the wife of one of his own clergy. He issued an apology on Twitter, but then did so more formally before the whole House of Bishops and the national press on 22 April at St Paul’s Cathedral, Namirembe; he confessed his sin and sought forgiveness from the families he had damaged, from the Church, and from the nation.
Ntagali spoke at a service which was part of the Church of Uganda’s celebration of 60 years as an independent Province of the Anglican Communion. It is now one of the largest, with some 17 million members (over one third of the population) and has produced outstanding leaders such as the martyr Archbishop Janani Luwum (who was murdered by Idi Amin) and his contemporary, the great evangelist Bishop Festo Kivengere, who also bravely challenged Amin’s brutality.
The current Archbishop of Uganda, Stephen Kaziimba, has shown a similar strength of character in not giving in to intense pressure from within the Church of Uganda to cover up his predecessor’s failings. For a significant number of Ugandan bishops, African honour/shame culture exerted such a powerful influence that they regarded Archbishop Kaziimba’s decision to deal publicly with his predecessor’s sin as worse than the sin itself.
However, video of the event shows that Ntagali was received back by his fellow bishops with great warmth. The prodigal had returned, his successor laid hands on him and prayed for him, and all joined in singing the great East African Revival hymn ‘Tukutendereza Yesu’.
An event which many would initially have considered simply to be an embarrassing stain on the Church of Uganda’s record over the past 60 years led to a truly gospel moment as a whole Church went back to the cross of Christ, guided by a new Primate who has shown that he will lead with integrity according to the word of God and not by the dictates of culture.
