By Solomon OKPO
ABUJA, The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has strongly criticized the recent appointment of the Rt Rev. Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, describing the decision as “devastating” and a further sign of deepening division within the global Anglican Communion.
In a statement released Monday, October 6, and signed by the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, the Most Rev’d Henry C. Ndukuba, the Church voiced profound disappointment over the announcement made on Friday, October 3. Bishop Mullally, who will be the first woman to hold the position, was described as representing a direction that ignores “the conviction of the majority of Anglicans who are unable to embrace female headship in the episcopate.”
The Church of Nigeria also raised alarm over Bishop Mullally’s well-documented support for same-sex marriage. Citing a 2023 statement in which she described the Church of England’s vote to bless same-sex unions as a “moment of hope,” the Church questioned her ability to unify a deeply fragmented 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,” the statement said. The issue has caused “enormous crisis across the entire Anglican Communion for over two decades,” the Church added.
The Church of Nigeria’s response signals a deepening rift between the conservative Global South, particularly the GAFCON movement (Global Anglican Future Conference), and the Church of England. “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 its alignment with GAFCON’s conservative stance, the Church of Nigeria pledged continued adherence to biblical authority, traditional creeds, evangelism, and “holy Christian living,” distancing itself from what it called “the ongoing revisionist agenda.”
The statement concluded with a message of encouragement to like-minded Anglicans within the Church of England to remain steadfast: “We encourage all faithful brothers and sisters… to contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints.”
The appointment of Bishop Mullally, a former Chief Nursing Officer of England before her ordination, marks a historic moment for the Church of England but also highlights the intensifying ideological divide within the global Anglican community.
