Anglican Church of Nigeria Breaks Ties with England over Pro-Gay Female Archbishop
Church of Nigeria says appointment of Bishop Sarah Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury marks a ‘devastating moral collapse’ in the global Anglican Communion.
Abuja, Nigeria – October 7, 2025
The Church of Nigeria of the Anglican Communion has officially declared spiritual independence from the Church of England, following the appointment of Bishop Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, describing the decision as a devastating moral and theological crisis for the global Anglican Communion.
In a statement issued on October 6, 2025, and signed by the Most Rev’d Henry C. Ndukuba, Primate of the Church of Nigeria, the leadership condemned Mullally’s elevation, calling it “a double jeopardy” that strikes at the heart of Christian orthodoxy.
“It is a double jeopardy; first, in its insensitivity to the conviction of the majority of Anglicans who are unable to embrace female headship in the episcopate, and second, more disturbing that Bishop Sarah Mullally is a strong supporter of same-sex marriage,” the statement read.
The Church of Nigeria referenced Mullally’s 2023 speech in which she described the approval of blessings for homosexual couples as “a moment of hope for the Church”, as evidence of her unambiguous endorsement of same-sex marriage within the Church.
Nigerian Anglicans argue that such a position cannot coexist with biblical Christianity, since “the Church’s understanding of marriage is exclusively between a man and a woman joined together before God.”
A Crisis of Faith and Morality
According to the Primate, Mullally’s appointment reflects what he described as a troubling moral decline within the leadership of the Anglican Communion.
The Church of Nigeria insists that the issue is not merely administrative or cultural but deeply spiritual, representing a fundamental departure from scriptural authority and Christian morality.
The statement further declared that “the global Anglican world could no longer accept the leadership of the Church of England and that of the Archbishop of Canterbury,” describing the move as the culmination of a decades-long drift into theological revisionism.
Reaffirming Faith and Scripture
As a member of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), a worldwide movement of orthodox Anglicans, the Church of Nigeria reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the authority of Scripture, the historic Christian creeds, and “holy Christian living,” rejecting what it calls the ongoing revisionist agenda sweeping through the Western church.
“We affirm the GAFCON position unreservedly and uphold the authority of the Scriptures, our historic creeds, evangelism and holy Christian living, irrespective of the ongoing revisionist agenda, believing our Lord Jesus Christ has built His Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,” the statement declared.
The Primate also expressed solidarity with faithful Anglicans in the Church of England who continue to reject same-sex marriage and other doctrines they consider “ungodly teachings.”
“We encourage all faithful brothers and sisters in the Church of England who have consistently rejected the aberration called same-sex marriage and other ungodly teachings, by contending for the faith that was once delivered to the saints,” the statement concluded, invoking Jude 1:3.
A Defining Moment for Global Anglicanism
This latest move marks one of the most decisive breaks yet between African Anglican provinces and their Western counterparts.
While the Church of Nigeria has previously distanced itself from liberal positions on sexuality and gender, its open declaration of spiritual independence signals a firm stance against what it perceives as the erosion of biblical morality in the Church of England.
For Archbishop Ndukuba and the Nigerian Anglican Communion, this is not simply a matter of church politics but a defence of the moral integrity of the Gospel itself.
“Ungodliness,” the statement suggests, is not merely doctrinal error but a manifestation of moral decay, a consequence of abandoning biblical truth. To the Nigerian Church, same-sex marriage and female headship in the episcopate symbolize this spiritual collapse.
As the Anglican world grapples with this widening divide, one thing is clear: the Church of Nigeria has drawn a firm theological line, rooted in Scripture, tradition, and moral conviction against what it views as a redefinition of faith.
