Bernard Ntahoturi (born 1948 in Matana) is a Burundian Anglican bishop. He was the Primate of the Anglican Church of Burundi from 2005 to 2016, and is the Bishop of Matana.

Education

Ntahoturi studied at Mukono Theological College, in

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

, from 1968 to 1972. He then took his Diploma in Theology at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

; Ridley Hall and St. John's College, in 1976, and his M.A. in Diplomacy at

Lincoln College, Oxford Lincoln College (formally, The College of the Blessed Mary and All Saints, Lincoln) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Lincoln was founded in 1427 by Richard Flemin ...

in 1982.

Ordained ministry

Ntahoturi was ordained an Anglican priest in 1973. He served in the government of

Burundi Burundi, officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is located in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa, with a population of over 14 million peop ...

from 1979 to 1986, becoming chief of staff of President Jean-Baptiste Bagaza. After the overthrowing of President Bagaza in 1987, in a military coup, he was jailed from 1987 to 1991. He was Provincial Secretary of the Episcopal Church of Burundi, being consecrated bishop of the Diocese of Matana in 1997. He was consecrated the third primate of the Anglican Church of Burundi on July 17, 2005. His mandate of five years was extended to another five at the reunion of the House of the Bishops of Burundi, on 23–24 June 2010, starting on July 17, 2010. He would serve until 21 August 2016. He is also a member of the Central Committee of the

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, most jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodo ...

and chair of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission for Unity, Faith, and Order. He was elected Chairman of the Council of the Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA) on February 7, 2012. He has been involved in the

Anglican realignment The Anglican realignment is a movement among some Anglicans to align themselves under new or alternative oversight within or outside the Anglican Communion. This movement is primarily active in parts of the Episcopal Church (United States), Episco ...

as a member of the

Global South Global North and Global South are terms that denote a method of grouping countries based on their defining characteristics with regard to socioeconomics and politics. According to UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Global South broadly com ...

. He attended GAFCON II, which took place in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, from 21 to 26 October 2013. A moderate conservative, he was involved in several meetings with representatives from the pro-homosexuality provinces of the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...

, including the "Transformation Through Friendship" gathering, organized by the Episcopal Church of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, in October 2014. Five

GAFCON The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (branded as GAFCON or Gafcon) is a communion of conservative Anglicanism, Anglican churches, aligned with the Confessing Movement, that formed in 2008 in response to ongoing theological disputes in th ...

Primates wrote to him in January 2015, criticizing his attitude, but Ntahoturi never replied. He would attend the

meeting, in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, in October 2015, being one of the 12 signings at the occasion, with several

Primates, including

Foley Beach Foley Thomas Beach (born October 31, 1958) is an American Anglican bishop. He was the second primate and archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, a church associated with the Anglican realignment movement, and is the first diocesan bi ...

, from the

Anglican Church in North America The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a Christian denomination in the Anglican tradition in the United States and Canada. It also includes ten congregations in Mexico, two mission churches in Guatemala, and a missionary diocese in Cuba. ...

. After the Episcopal Church approval of same-sex marriage, Ntahoturi voted for their suspension from the

, in the Primates meeting held in January 2016. He was appointed by

Justin Welby Justin Portal Welby (born 6 January 1956) is an Anglican bishop who served as the 105th archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England from 2013 to 2025. After an 11-year career in the oil industry, Welby trained for ordination at St John ...

to be the Representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Holy See and Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome on 17 March 2017, taking office on 26 October. He was the first African and francophone to be appointed to both offices. He stepped down on 21 December 2018, having been accused of

sexual misconduct Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature which exists on a spectrum that may include a broad range of sexual behaviors considered unwelcome. This includes conduct considered inappropriate on an individual or societal basis of morality, ...

References

External links

Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ntahoturi, Bernard 1948 births Living people Burundian Anglicans 20th-century Anglican bishops in Africa 21st-century Anglican archbishops Anglican bishops of Matana Anglican archbishops of Burundi Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Fellows of St John's College, Cambridge