The Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, has formally severed spiritual ties with the Church of England following the appointment of Dame Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury — a move the Nigerian leadership described as “insensitive and devastating” to the global Anglican community.
In a statement released in Abuja, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Most Rev. Henry C. Ndukuba, said the appointment of Mullally, who openly supports same-sex marriage blessings, reflects a deep moral and theological crisis within the Anglican Communion.
“The election is a double jeopardy,” Ndukuba declared. “It disregards the conviction of the majority of Anglicans who cannot accept female headship in the episcopate, and it is even more disturbing that Bishop Sarah Mullally is a strong supporter of same-sex marriage.”
Mullally, 63, who was confirmed on October 3 as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, is the first woman to hold the position. Formerly the Bishop of London and once England’s Chief Nursing Officer, she now succeeds Archbishop Justin Welby as the spiritual head of an 85-million-member global communion.
Ndukuba emphasized that her election undermines traditional Christian teaching and widens existing divisions. “This appointment confirms that the global Anglican world can no longer accept the leadership of the Church of England and that of the Archbishop of Canterbury,” he said.
The Church of Nigeria reaffirmed its full alignment with the Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon) — a coalition of conservative Anglican provinces across Africa, Asia, and Latin America — which had earlier declared Mullally’s appointment “impossible as a focus of unity.”
Ndukuba stressed that the Nigerian Church remains committed to “the authority of the Scriptures, historic creeds, evangelism, and holy Christian living,” rejecting what he termed “revisionist agendas.”
The Nigerian primate also extended solidarity to Anglicans in England who continue to oppose same-sex marriage and uphold traditional doctrine. “We encourage all faithful brothers and sisters who contend for the faith once delivered to the saints,” he said, invoking Jude 1:3.
He concluded with a prayer that “the Spirit of the Good Shepherd may continue to guide His Church amid these challenging times.”
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