Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has rejected the appointment of Bishop Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, describing it as a clear deviation from biblical teachings and a reflection of the Church of England’s continued submission to liberal and secular ideologies.
Mullally, who until recently served as the Bishop of London, was last week announced as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman ever to hold the historic position in the over 1,500-year-old Anglican Communion.
Reacting to the development, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, said the decision by the Church of England “further confirms its surrender to secular values at the expense of scriptural truth.”
In a statement issued in Abuja, Ndukuba declared that the Church of Nigeria “will not recognize or be part of any consecration or ecclesiastical leadership that contradicts the clear teachings of the Holy Bible regarding church order and ministry.”
He maintained that leadership in the Church “is not about gender equality or political correctness but obedience to divine authority,” stressing that the Nigerian Church remains committed to upholding the authority of Scripture and the historic faith of the Anglican Communion.
“The Church of England has chosen to continue on a path that compromises the gospel. We cannot, in good conscience, endorse or fellowship with such error,” the statement added.
The Primate also called on other provinces within the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) to stand firm in defending orthodox faith and biblical morality, warning that attempts to modernize the Church at the expense of its doctrine would only lead to spiritual decay.
The statement recalled that the Church of Nigeria had long withdrawn its recognition of the Archbishop of Canterbury as the spiritual head of the global Anglican Communion following the Church of England’s approval of same-sex blessings and ordination of gay clergy. In 2008, Nigeria joined other conservative provinces to form the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) as a platform for biblically faithful Anglicans worldwide.
With Mullally’s elevation, church observers say the theological and moral divide within the Communion is likely to deepen further, as the Church of England continues to adopt progressive reforms that are rejected by many Anglican provinces in Africa and Asia.
While liberal voices across Europe and North America have hailed Mullally’s appointment as a milestone for gender inclusion and progress within the church, the conservative bloc in Africa insists that faithfulness to Scripture must remain the Church’s guiding principle
