Global South (Anglican)

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The Anglican Global South is a grouping of twenty of the thirty-eight Provinces of the Anglican Communion derived from a meeting entitled the Global South Encounter in October 2005. The term Global South was, in origin, simply a general description of what was formerly referred to as the Third World, i.e. the less developed nations, which are primarily in the Southern Hemisphere. It was applied, specifically, to Christian churches only in 2003[1], and gained impetus in the context of disputes within the Anglican Communion over the ordination in 2003 of a partnered gay man, Gene Robinson, as a Bishop in The Episcopal Church of the United States of America. Churches of the Global South, in alliance with conservatives in the United States of America, have since then vigorously protested the unacceptability to them of any accommodation of same-sex relationships within the Anglican Communion.

The Anglican Provinces identified with the Global South grouping represent most if not all of the Third World countries within the Communion, and are mostly conservative on matters of sexual ethics, in line with their local cultural norms[2], and evangelical in churchmanship.

The majority of the Provinces are part of the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa or (CAPA). The Global South makes regular pronouncements on the internal politics of the Anglican Communion, with particular emphasis upon issues of human sexuality, through a self appointed Steering Committee[3], whose Chairman is the Primate of Nigeria, the Most Rev. Peter Akinola.