The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has declared a total spiritual break from the Church of England, following the appointment of Bishop Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury.
In a statement issued by its Primate, the Most Rev’d Henry C. Ndukuba, the Nigerian Church condemned the development as “devastating” and “insensitive,” accusing the Church of England of abandoning biblical principles and embracing moral compromise.
“This election is a double jeopardy. First, it disregards the conviction of the majority of Anglicans who cannot accept female headship in the episcopate; and second, it is more disturbing that Bishop Sarah Mullally is a strong supporter of same-sex marriage,” the statement said.
The Church said Mullally’s promotion — as both the first woman and a vocal advocate of same-sex blessings — represents “a troubling moral decline” within the global Anglican leadership.
It recalled her 2023 statement hailing the Church of England’s decision to approve blessings for same-sex couples as “a moment of hope,” insisting that such remarks have only deepened existing divisions within the Communion.
“It remains to be seen how the same person hopes to mend the already torn fabric of the Anglican Communion by the contentious same-sex marriage, which has caused enormous crisis across the Communion for over two decades,” the statement read.
Declaring that Canterbury no longer speaks for the global Anglican family, the Church of Nigeria reaffirmed its full loyalty to the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) and its conservative doctrine.
“On our part, as a member of the GAFCON family, the Church of Nigeria affirms the GAFCON position unreservedly and reaffirms our earlier stance to uphold the authority of the Scriptures, our historic creeds, evangelism and holy Christian living, irrespective of the ongoing revisionist agenda,” the statement added.
The Primate urged conservative believers across England and beyond to resist what he called “ungodly teachings” that undermine the Christian faith.
“We encourage all faithful brothers and sisters in the Church of England who have consistently rejected the aberration called same-sex marriage and other ungodly teachings by contending for the faith that was once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3),” the Church said.
