The Archbishop of Canterbury, His Grace Justine Welby, has praised the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, for his contribution to the Anglican Church and humanity.
Speaking to the press in Accra, on Saturday, February 11, 2023, His Grace Justine Welby, said that like the late Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II, the Asantehene uses his power for service and not dominance.
The archbishop made these remarks as he was explaining why the Anglican Communion decided to give the monarch of the Ashanti Kingdom the highest order of the church, the Cross of St Augustine.
He said that both the Otumfuo and the late Queen of England, who was the last monarch to receive the Cross of St Augustine, did not shy away from speaking about issues of national importance.
“The Asantehene received what we call the cross of St Augustine, which is the highest of honour for the Anglican Communion, for his solid extraordinary contribution to the church in Ghana.
“Not just for financial contributions but his support and his seeking to live out the vocation of a Christian King. The last monarch to receive a cross of St Augustine was Her late majesty Queen Elizabeth and she received that in the middle of last summer.
“And for very similar reasons that her late majesty and his very present majesty both used their rank and position and heritage for service and not domination and are not afraid to speak clearly about issues that need speaking clearly about. So, it was a great privilege that he accepted that,” he said.
The Archbishop of Canterbury was in Accra for the Church of England’s General Synod.
At the Synod, the Anglican Church endorsed the decision by the province’s College of Bishops not to change the doctrine of marriage.
The Synod spent two days discussing a lengthy series of amendments to a motion put forward by the bishops as their response to Living in Love and Faith – a six-year programme of study, exploration and consultation on questions of identity and sexuality.
The church, however, voted on Thursday to offer blessings to same-sex couples but clergy members can opt not to use the prayers, and the church will maintain its ban on same-sex marriage.
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