Thursday, October 9, 2025 - Nigeria’s Anglican church has said it cannot accept Sarah Mullally as a leader and cites her support for same-sex blessings.
The Anglican Church of Nigeria has formally rejected the
appointment of the first-ever female archbishop of Canterbury.
Nigerian archbishop, metropolitan and primate of the Church
of Nigeria, Henry Ndukuba, described the election of Sarah Mullally as “a
double jeopardy” — first for imposing female headship on those who cannot
accept it, and second for promoting “a strong supporter of same-sex marriage.”
In a statement posted on Facebook on Monday, Ndukuba
questioned how Mullally “hopes to mend the already torn fabric of the Anglican
Communion” given ongoing debates over same-sex marriage.
He said Nigeria, as part of the Global Fellowship of
Confessing Anglicans (GAFCON), “reaffirms [its] earlier stance to uphold the
authority of the Scriptures” and rejects what he called “the revisionist
agenda” within parts of the Communion.
“This election is a further confirmation that the global
Anglican world could no longer accept the leadership of the Church of England
and that of the Archbishop of Canterbury,” Ndukuba stated.
GAFCON itself expressed “sorrow” over Mullally’s
appointment, saying the Church of England had “abandoned global Anglicans” and
lost its moral leadership. The Church of England has not yet commented on the
Nigerian statement.
Mullally (63), was appointed the 106th Archbishop of
Canterbury on Friday after her nomination was approved by King Charles III. She
is set to take office in January following final confirmation by Church of
England leaders and will be the first woman in the position.
Across much of sub-Saharan Africa, Anglican and other
Christian churches maintain traditional views on marriage and gender. The
Church of Nigeria, one of the largest Anglican provinces, defines marriage
strictly as a union between a man and a woman and does not ordain women as
priests or bishops.
In Kenya, while Bishop Rose Okeno’s consecration marked a
historic breakthrough, women in episcopal leadership remain rare, and same-sex
unions are firmly rejected. Similar conservative positions prevail in Uganda
and most of East and West Africa. The main exception is the Anglican Church of
Southern Africa, which permits women bishops but continues to uphold
traditional teaching on marriage. — Russia Today
0 Comments