New primate discovered: The Archbishopess of Canterbury

The 400-pound corpse of Henry VIII turned in its grave last week, following the enthronement of Sarah Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury. The pro-LGBT feminist and mother of two will serve as the Primate of All England (official title) and is a fitting appointment for the woke joke that is the Church of England [CofE] in its modern incarnation. If this is the triumph of progress and history-making, then it is merely at the self-fulfilling indulgence of those who invert and pervert history and tradition. As an old Polish proverb goes, where the devil cannot go himself, he sends a woman.

Sarah Mullally

For those who missed the two-hour ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral, the event could be more or less described as a vacuous, corporatized and avant-garde aberration that was completely out of place in the majestic thousand-year-old edifice. Midway through the program, an African troupe of singers and dancers joined the proceedings with their customary singing and dancing — including women with unshaved armpits. This was followed by various addresses in Spanish, Urdu and Bemba, because in spite of its appellation, the Church of England is entirely globalist in domain and doctrine. Various other faith leaders were in attendance, but why wouldn’t there be a bit of solidarity among those who trade in verbal diarrhea and an invisible product?

Even more surprising than the abundance of ethno-diversity on display was the overrepresentation of women, especially at the top. Women were only able to be ordained in 1994 and become bishops in 2014, yet they now make up one-third of all bishops. Under the matronage of Archbishop Sarah Mullally there can be little doubt that the CofE, as Church of Equity, will pursue ever more inclusivity inspired quotas for more highly ranked women and ultimately decommission God’s male identity. There’s virtually no sense of mystique and sublimity left in this house of God, instead it comes across as a civilian parade of part-timers who, motivated by a sense of self-importance and charmed by ceremonial garb, want to merchandise their side hustle to higher social status but lack the sort of sacrifice and commitment that is required of real priests.

At a time when most religions are suffering a legitimacy crisis, the Anglican strategy of submitting to modern pressures and political fashions is certainly a bold one. Besides the cultural Marxism and woke environmental initiatives, the church was in lockstep adherence to COVID-19-prescribed tyranny, such that all places of worship were closed to the public for months. On the Brexit referendum, only one of 116 bishops dared to support the Leave Campaign, which was an extremity of groupthink discordant with two-thirds of Anglican voters and even Queen Elizabeth II. Succeeding the queen in the role as nominal head of the Anglican Church is King Charles III, a man who will not send out an Easter message to Christians but does congratulate Muslims for Ramadan.

Like Islam, Anglicanism is a political religion but it’s obviously not the right one because its numbers continue to dwindle. So what exactly have senior leaders devised for community outreach and winning back the flock? In 2016, the Bishop of London suggested that vicars grow beards because that was an “icebreaker” that could better engage Muslims. In 2019, a drive presumably aimed at chavs saw the 900-year-old Rochester Cathedral host a nine-hole “crazy golf” course beneath its arches.

In order to better understand the thinking of the Church of England’s top brass it may help to take a closer look at the biographical details of the freshly minted Archbishop of Canterbury. Dame Sarah Mullally was born in 1962, in the auspiciously named town of Woking, Surrey. Her educational background, as well as statements on “not wanting to be a doctor” fit the profile of an ambitious and overeducated nurse who lacked true intellect but had desires for prestige and social climbing. Mullally therefore sought advancement by entering the managerial class. In 1999, she became Chief Nursing Officer for England in the National Health Service and in 2005 was knighted (made a Dame). With this distinction, one may think she must have eclipsed Florence Nightingale and invented a new type of nursing while volunteering in Calcutta or Kinshasa, alas, as with many of these modern accolades the generic “contributions to the field of …” suffices.

With regard to her convictions and character, it is enough to see that even as a senior figure within the church Mullally has provided mealy-mouthed avowals on matters that should be central to Christian teaching. Besides same-sex marriage, the former nurse is also supportive of abortion. At a meeting of the Anglican Synod last year, Mullally broke down into tears because of the “micro-aggressions” and “institutional barriers” faced by women. This coming from a woman who has reached the apex of two unrelated fields and received honorary doctorates from five universities.

But if we leave The Most Reverend and Right Honorable Mullally on her personal Golgotha and return to Tudor England, a searing irony becomes apparent in the Church of England’s early genesis. The whole point of Henry VIII’s insistence on the right to divorce and remarry was because of his need for a son. And the reason he insisted on a male heir was because he deemed women completely unsuited to positions of leadership. Thus, the long arc of history has proved Henry VIII right for his views but wrong for his actions. In his defense, it could be said that the emerging Renaissance period on the continent was already paving the way for the spiritual emancipation and semi-deification of women.

Europe’s egalitarian spirit and liberal tradition have without doubt guided Christianity away from Semitic patriarchalism and introduced such tendencies as the de facto worship of Mary as an idol. It’s also thanks to Rome and Constantinople that Mary Magdalene, commonly presumed to have been a prostitute, is nevertheless the object of veneration and occasional adoration. If it wasn’t so, then millions of new parents across Europe and Latin America would not bestow the name of a biblical whore to their newborn daughters.

By some contrast, it may surprise most Christians in the West to learn that in the Levantine homeland of their faith — be it Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt or Iraq — churches are still gender-segregated, with men going on one side and women on the other. Synagogues adhere to this custom too, with only some Reform and Reconstructionist synagogues opting to remove the mechitza (barrier). Islam, of course, takes things to another level, quite literally, as women are only permitted in the upper gallery, which is more of an observation deck.

This illustrates the influence that culture and race can have on religion — the modern English form being no exception (if it can even be called a religion). The CofE is now more of a vestigial faith and secular cult — in sync with the establishment zeitgeist. In past centuries, the Church of England was an institutional force influencing society in a very different direction, and in some ways more conservative than the Catholic Church. Charles Darwin, for example, was attacked exclusively by clergy from the Church of England.

Looking at the current state of England, it doesn’t take a naturalist like Jane Goodall, who died last year, or David Attenborough, who turns 100 next month, to understand the simian-like group conflict transpiring on the ground. This includes never before seen social maladies like so-called flash mobs of “feral youth” and daylight smash-and-grab robberies. Users on social media have pointed out that authorities across the country have begun erecting anti-pooping signage in all kinds of public places. Just last week, Professor David Betz of King’s College London, warned the European Parliament that Britain was not far away from civil war. On whose side the Mullally-led Church of England would align is anyone’s guess.