Nigeria breaks with Church of England over female archbishop’s appointment

Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) Henry Ndukuba (third from left) and Anglican leaders at the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) in Kigali, Rwanda. Photo: guardian.ng

On October 3, 2025, the Church of Nigeria officially rejected the authority of the Church of England following the appointment of Bishop Sarah Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury, citing concerns over her support for same-sex marriage and her position as the first woman to hold the post, reports Vanguard Nigeria.

In a statement from Archbishop Henry Ndukuba, Primate of the Nigerian Anglican Church, the Church of England’s decision was described as “destructive” and “insensitive,” as it disregards the convictions of the majority of Anglicans worldwide. “This election poses a double danger. First, it ignores the beliefs of most Anglicans, who cannot accept a woman’s primacy in the episcopate; and secondly, even more troubling is that Bishop Sarah Mullally is an outspoken supporter of same-sex marriage,” the statement reads.

The document stresses that appointing a woman to the highest ecclesiastical office, coupled with her support for blessing same-sex unions, “deepens the crisis within the Anglican Communion.” Ndukuba recalled that after the Church of England’s 2023 vote to bless same-sex couples, Sarah Mullally called it “a moment of hope,” which, according to the Nigerian Church, only worsened existing divisions.

The Church of Nigeria reaffirmed its commitment to the GAFCON movement (Global Anglican Future Conference) and stated that it would continue to uphold “biblical teaching, the historic creeds, and traditional Christian values.”

Church leadership also called on conservative Anglicans in the UK and elsewhere to stand against ungodly teachings and to defend the Christian faith “in its true, apostolic form.”

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Anglicans around the world were uniting in opposition to the appointment of a woman as archbishop.

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