By Francis Capitanio, Anglican Ink.
Questions surrounding the change in language from primus inter pares (“first among equals”) to “Chair of the Council” during the recent GAFCON Council gathering prompted further clarification from leaders during the afternoon sessions in Abuja. Earlier in the day, the public announcement regarding the formation of the new Global Anglican Council referred to the elected leader as Chair of the Council, rather than using the term primus inter pares that had appeared in earlier discussions and press conferences leading up to the meeting. The shift generated curiosity among some observers, particularly within English church media, who wondered whether the change reflected internal disagreements or outside pressures.
Later in the day, the Rt. Rev. Paul Donison addressed the AAC’s question about this directly, offering historical and ecclesiological reasons for the decision. He also then expressed this reasoning to the entire gathering, explaining that the phrase primus inter pares is closely tied to the historic structure of the Lambeth Conference and the way authority traditionally functioned among bishops within the Anglican Communion. “When the Lambeth Conference first met in 1867, it was a gathering of bishops,” Donison said. “In that context, the Archbishop of Canterbury could be described as the ‘first among equals’ because he was the senior archbishop among bishops gathered together.”
That framework, however, does not reflect the structure that GAFCON leaders believe they are now developing. According to Donison, the council model that emerged within the GAFCON movement intentionally involves a broader form of representation that includes clergy and lay leaders alongside bishops. Because authority in that structure is shared across the wider body of the church, the concept of a single bishop serving as primus inter pares among other bishops does not accurately describe the arrangement. “Once bishops share authority with clergy and laity within a council, the structure becomes conciliar,” Donison explained. “True conciliar bodies don’t really function with a ‘first among equals’ in the same way. Instead, the council has a chair.”