The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has formally severed spiritual ties with the Church of England, rejecting the appointment of Bishop Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, citing her support for same-sex marriage and her elevation as the first woman to occupy the historic position.
In a strongly worded statement signed by the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, the Most Rev’d Henry C. Ndukuba, the Church condemned the announcement made on Friday, October 3, 2025, describing it as “devastating” and “insensitive.”
According to the statement, the development reflects a deep moral and theological decline within the leadership of the Anglican Communion.
“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 Nigerian Church recalled Bishop Mullally’s 2023 remarks following the Church of England’s vote to approve blessings for same-sex couples, in which she hailed the decision as “a moment of hope” for the Church — a stance the Church of Nigeria said has further “deepened the wounds already tearing at the unity of the Anglican 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 Church said.
Declaring that the global Anglican community could no longer accept the leadership of the Church of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Church of Nigeria reaffirmed its total alignment with the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) and its conservative theological principles.
“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 Church also issued a rallying call to conservative Anglicans in the UK and around the world to resist what it described as doctrinal compromise within the global Church.
“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 statement read.
With this declaration, the Church of Nigeria — one of the largest provinces in the global Anglican Communion — has effectively distanced itself from the spiritual authority of Canterbury, underscoring the widening rift over gender roles and same-sex relationships within the worldwide Anglican family.
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