Anglican Diocese of Upper Shire says no to women priests

Anglican Diocese of the Upper Shire says the Diocese is not ready to ordain women as priests.

This comes as Anglican Province of Central Africa comprising of Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana granted permission that a dioceses is at liberty to ordain women priests.

ADUS made it’s stand to never accept women priests during an extraordinary synod at Malosa, Likwenu Ascension Church which met to discuss a number of issues that were discussed at the Province of Central Africa some years back.

Speaking at the end of the Extra Ordinary Synod , Bishop of ADUS, William Mchombo said 123 delegates from various parishes said no to the idea of making women priests in the Anglican Diocese of Upper Shire.

He said the delegates had agreed that Malawi should have an independent National Province and that Zimbabwe and Zambia should have their own national provinces so that each province should have Archbishop.

This will mean that Botswana, which has one diocese, will have not have a National rather it can join any province of it’s choice.

Province of Central Africa is led by Archbishop Albert Chama and from the Extra Ordinary Synod, there is likelihood that Malawi can have its own Archbishop to take charge of the Malawi national province.

Bishop Mchombo said that resolutions at the ADUS Extra Ordinary Synod and resolutions from other dioceses in Zambia, Zimbabwe will be presented at the Central Africa Province meetingto be held in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in September this year.

” If Anglican in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe shall have their National Province it will mean that Anglican church is growing because each national province shall have its own Archbishop,” he explained.

One of the delegates at ADUS Extra Ordinary Synod, Professor Alfred Mtenje from St. George’s Anglican Church in Zomba, said they were only discussing what came out of Central Africa Province to see what is best for ADUS or what is not best.

He said the Extra Ordinary Synod was also making resolutions that shall be presented at the Central Africa Province.

Anglican church in the Central Africa Province has 15 dioceses. Malawi has 4 dioceses, Zambia 5, Zimbabwe 5 while Botswana has 1.