By: Manoah Kikekon
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| Sarah Mullaly and Harry Ndukuba |
LAGOS, Nigeria – The Church of Nigeria has formally rejected and condemned the landmark appointment of Bishop Sarah Mullaly as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, over her support for same-sex marriage.
The decision, announced by the Church of England on Friday, marks a historic first with Mullaly becoming the woman to lead the worldwide communion of 85 million Anglicans. However, the Nigerian church, one of the largest and most influential provinces in the Anglican fold, has declared it will not accept her leadership.
In a strongly worded statement released Monday, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Archbishop Henry Ndukuba, labeled Mullaly’s appointment a “double jeopardy.” He stated it demonstrates a profound “insensitivity to the conviction of the majority of Anglicans” who theologically oppose female leadership in the episcopate.
Archbishop Ndukuba’s critique extended beyond the issue of gender, pinpointing what he described as a more disturbing factor: Mullaly’s public support for same-sex relationships. He cited a 2023 speech in which she celebrated a vote to approve the blessing of same-sex unions as a “moment of hope for the Church.”
“It remains to be seen how the same person hopes to mend the already torn fabric of the Anglican Communion,” Ndukuba stated, referencing the decades-long global crisis over LGBTQ+ issues that has deeply divided the communion.
The Nigerian primate’s statement serves as a direct call to arms for conservative Anglicans worldwide. He encouraged “all faithful brothers and sisters in the Church of England” to reject Mullaly’s leadership and continue contending for traditional doctrine.
Aligning the Church of Nigeria firmly with the conservative GAFCON (Global Anglican Future Conference) movement, Ndukuba reaffirmed its commitment to “uphold the authority of the Scriptures” and oppose the “ongoing revisionist agenda” of Western churches like the Church of England.
Bishop Sarah Mullaly’s appointment follows the abrupt resignation of her predecessor, Justin Welby, in November 2024. A former chief nursing officer for England and a prominent advocate for women in church leadership, the 63-year-old Mullaly was previously the Bishop of London, another role in which she broke the stained-glass ceiling.
The swift and forceful rejection from Nigeria underscores the profound theological rifts within the Anglican Communion. It sets the stage for a significant power struggle, potentially realigning the global church around conservative and liberal axes and challenging the historic centrality of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
As Archbishop Ndukuba concluded, her election is a “further confirmation that the global Anglican world could no longer accept the leadership of the Church of England,” signaling a possible permanent schism in the world’s third-largest Christian denomination.