The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has announced its spiritual independence from the Church of England, rejecting the appointment of Bishop Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Nigerian Church said Mullally’s support for same-sex marriage and her emergence as the first female to occupy the position represent a “troubling moral decline” within the Anglican leadership.

In a statement issued by its Primate, the Most Reverend Henry Ndukuba, the Church described the October 3, 2025, announcement of Mullally’s appointment as “devastating” and “insensitive,” accusing the Church of England of disregarding the deep divisions within the global Anglican community.

“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 read.

The Church recalled Mullally’s 2023 remarks welcoming the Church of England’s approval of blessings for same-sex couples, in which she described the decision as “a moment of hope.” It said such views further threaten the unity of the Anglican Communion.

“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 issue, which has caused enormous crisis across the Communion for over two decades,” the Church said.

Declaring that the global Anglican community can no longer accept the leadership of the Church of England or the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Nigerian Church reaffirmed its allegiance to the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) and its principles.

“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 added.

The Church also urged conservative Anglicans in England and other parts of the world to remain steadfast in defending biblical truth and rejecting teachings that compromise the Christian faith.

Nigeria’s Anglican Church breaks from Canterbury over ‘pro-gay’ female archbishop