The Anglican Church of Nigeria has publicly rejected the election of a woman as the new archbishop of Canterbury, saying it marks a deeper shift by the Church of England away from biblical teaching. The appointment of Bishop Sarah Mullally, the first woman to hold the role, was criticized as both theologically and structurally damaging to the unity of the global Anglican Communion.
In a statement, the Anglican Church of Nigeria described the Oct. 3 appointment as a “devastating” decision that ignored longstanding doctrinal tensions over female leadership and the blessing of same-sex unions.
The statement, issued by Archbishop Henry C. Ndukuba, said the appointment showed disregard for the convictions of “the majority of Anglicans who are unable to embrace female headship in the episcopate,” and expressed deeper concern about Mullally’s support for same-sex marriage.
The Nigerian leadership called the move a “double jeopardy.” They cited Mullally’s 2023 comments following a vote to allow prayers for same-sex blessings, in which she described the outcome as a “moment of hope for the Church."
The Church of Nigeria said such positions were incompatible with Scripture and worsened the ongoing crisis in the Anglican Communion.
“This election is a further confirmation that the global Anglican world could no longer accept the leadership of the Church of England and that of the Archbishop of Canterbury,” the statement said, reaffirming the Nigerian church’s alignment with GAFCON (Global Anglican Future Conference), a traditionalist Anglican network.
Gafcon, which includes bishops from Africa, Asia and Latin America, issued a parallel statement through its Primates Council, calling the announcement a source of “sorrow” and warning it would deepen divisions within the 85 million-member Communion.
Its chairman, the Most Rev. Laurent Mbanda, said the Church of England had “chosen a leader who will further divide an already split Communion.”
Mbanda said Mullally’s appointment closed off the possibility of Canterbury serving as a unifying office and described her theological stance as a departure from her ordination vows. He cited her support for prayers blessing same-sex relationships and her 2023 comment suggesting some of those relationships could be blessed, which he argued violated the Church’s historic teachings.
“She took an oath to ‘banish and drive away all strange and erroneous doctrine contrary to God’s Word,’” he said. “And yet, far from banishing such doctrine, Bishop Mullally has repeatedly promoted unbiblical and revisionist teachings regarding marriage and sexual morality.”
Mbanda referred to Anglican Article XX, which states that the Church may not ordain anything “contrary to God’s Word,” and argued that Mullally’s votes and comments had placed her in violation of that standard. He also pointed to the Jerusalem Statement adopted by Gafcon in 2008, which calls for leadership that maintains “the plain and canonical sense” of Scripture.
The Gafcon leadership said it had hoped the CofE would appoint someone capable of healing longstanding fractures, but now sees Canterbury as no longer viable as the Communion’s center. Mbanda said the authority to guide the global Anglican body would now fall to leaders who uphold “the truth of the gospel and the authority of Scripture in all areas of life.”
The Church of Nigeria, which is one of the world’s largest Anglican provinces, said it would continue to uphold biblical doctrine “irrespective of the ongoing revisionist agenda.” It also urged Church of England members who reject same-sex marriage to remain steadfast and “contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints.”
Mbanda said Gafcon’s next step would be to consolidate leadership among orthodox Anglican bishops at its G26 Bishops Assembly, scheduled to be held in Abuja from March 3–6, 2026. The gathering is expected to be the most significant since the movement’s founding in Jerusalem in 2008, he said.
