Anglican Church of Nigeria Officially Cuts Ties with Church of England, Gives Reason
- The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has cut spiritual ties with the Church of England over the appointment of Bishop Sarah Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury
- The Nigerian Church condemned her support for same-sex marriage, calling it proof of “moral and theological decline” within the Anglican Communion
- Reaffirming loyalty to GAFCON, the church vowed to uphold conservative biblical teachings and urged global Anglicans to reject liberal reforms
The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has officially severed spiritual ties with the Church of England, following the appointment of Bishop Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Nigerian church described her elevation as the first woman to occupy the position, and her support for same-sex marriage as evidence of what it called “a deepening moral and theological decline” within the leadership of the Anglican Communion.
Source: UGC
Anglican Church faults Bishop Sarah Mullally's appointment
In a statement signed by the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, the Most Rev’d Henry C. Ndukuba, the church condemned the appointment, which was announced on Friday, October 3, 2025.
“This election is a double jeopardy. First, it disregards the conviction of the majority of Anglicans who cannot accept female headship in the episcopate; and second, it is more disturbing that Bishop Sarah Mullally is a strong supporter of same-sex marriage,” the statement said.
It added that the decision of the Church of England ignored existing divisions within the global Anglican Communion and undermined efforts to preserve doctrinal unity.
Concerns over same-sex blessings
The statement cited Bishop Mullally’s 2023 remarks following the Church of England’s vote to approve blessings for same-sex couples, where she described the move as “a moment of hope” for the church, Punch reported.
“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, which has caused enormous crisis across the Communion for over two decades,” the church added.
Nigeria reaffirms loyalty to GAFCON movement
Source: Getty Images
Describing the development as a defining moment, the Church of Nigeria said it would henceforth align solely with the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) and uphold its conservative biblical stance, Vanguard reported.
“On our part, as a member of the GAFCON family, the Church of Nigeria affirms the GAFCON position unreservedly and reaffirms our earlier stance to uphold the authority of the Scriptures, our historic creeds, evangelism, and holy Christian living, irrespective of the ongoing revisionist agenda,” the statement read.
Appeal to conservative Anglicans worldwide
The church urged like-minded Anglicans across the world to remain steadfast in defending the Bible’s authority and rejecting teachings that undermine traditional Christian doctrine.
“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 (Jude 1:3),” the statement said.
The declaration marks one of the most significant breaks within global Anglicanism in recent years, deepening the rift between traditionalist and liberal factions of the Communion.
Observers said the Church of Nigeria’s decision underscores growing resistance among African churches against what they describe as Western liberal influence on Christian doctrine.
Priest lauds decision to cut ties with Cantebury
A Nigerian priest, Jonathan Ugochukwu, while speaking with Legit.ng on Sunday, October 12, condemned the appointment of Bishop Sarah Mullally, praising the Church of Nigeria’s decision to cut ties with the Church of England.
“The Nigerian Anglican Church has taken the best decision to protect the faith. We cannot compromise biblical truth for modern trends or political correctness," the priest said.
He added,
“Appointing a leader who openly supports same-sex marriage is a clear departure from scriptural teachings. The Church must stand firm on the foundation of the gospel, no matter the pressure.”
“Church divisions are not new”: Theologian reacts
A theologian, Dr Benard Andrew, has expressed deep concern over the latest division rocking the global Anglican Communion following the decision of the Church of Nigeria to sever ties with Canterbury.
He described the situation as “disheartening and sincerely painful,” noting that it exposes not just the Anglican denomination but also “the body of Christ worldwide.”
“Seeing what is happening in the global Anglican Communion family is disheartening and sincerely painful. It exposes not just the Anglican denomination to criticism, but also the body of Christ worldwide. If we cannot put our house in order, how do we expect to be a beacon of hope to our society?”
Dr Andrew, who spoke with Legit.ng, however, noted that theological disagreements and breakaways are not new to the Christian faith.
“Divisions and breaking away due to theological differences are not new to the body of Christ. Like any other institution or religion, Christianity has had its fair share of controversies and breakaways. Christianity itself is viewed by most Jews as an offshoot of Judaism, seeing that Jesus and all his earliest followers were Jews.”
The theologian went on to give a historical perspective, tracing the roots of church divisions from the earliest days after Christ’s death.
“From the inception of the Church, just a few days after the death of Christ, it had struggled with theological differences between the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians. Although both groups kept on tolerating each other, things fell apart after the First Apostles who walked and ate with Jesus all passed away.”
Theologian traces Christianity’s long history of splits
According to Dr Benard, the first recorded split in church history was caused by the Gnostics, who emphasised secret knowledge over scripture.
“The Gnostics were the first splinter group in recorded history to break away. It happened sometime between 70 A.D. and 150 A.D. They believed in Jesus but say salvation must come through a special knowledge that you have to be initiated into, and that Christians should not read the Old Testament.”
Dr Andrew also recalled that the Church faced a “Doctrinal Crisis” between 313 AD and 800 AD, followed by the “Great Schism of 1054 AD” that divided the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.
“The argument was mainly about who had more authority than the other. Was it the Patriarch of Constantinople or the Pope? They also argued about the Nature of the Holy Spirit—this brought about a permanent separation between the Eastern and Western Blocs of Christianity.”
He added that the Medieval Reformation between 1100 and 1500 AD further deepened divisions, birthing new denominations and movements.
“Although separated by centuries, their collective effort brought about the crusaders taking up arms and recapturing Jerusalem from the heathen, translating the Bible from Latin to the people's language, and preaching the gospel in the common tongue. It laid the foundation for the Protestant Movement, from which other major denominations emanated, including the Anglican, Anabaptist, Puritans, Evangelicals, Presbyterians, and even the Pentecostals.”
Dr Andrew concluded that while church schisms have existed for centuries, the underlying causes often reflect cultural and social differences that shape how people interpret scripture.
“Church schism is not new, and as long as we have where we were born and where we grew up, it will always play a significant role in how we view and interpret the scriptures. Our strictest theology studies will still be interpreted through our cultural and social biases.”
Anglican Church speaks on APC's Muslim-Muslim ticket
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) condemned in strong terms the APC's Muslim-Muslim ticket for the 2023 presidential election.
Rev. Dr. Duke Akamisoko, the Anglican Bishop of Kubwa Diocese, said the same faith ticket showed APC was insensitive to the plurality of religions in Nigeria. Akamisoko added that the APC's action was an insult to northern Christians who are members of the ruling party.
Editorial assistant Ololade Olatimehin provided exclusive commentary from a theologian for this report.
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Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
