Most Revd Dr Laurent Mbanda, the chairman of the GAFCON Primates’ Council and the Primate of the Anglican Church of Rwanda, published a letter declaring that the true Anglican Church was now under GAFCON, and not under the Archbishop of Canterbury, as it had been for centuries. The letter is a response to the appointment as archbishop of Canterbury of Dame Sarah Mullally, the first woman to hold the post, in early October.
In addition to breaking with tradition by appointing a woman, the leadership of the Anglican Communion chose a leader that outraged many Anglican clergy around the world, particularly in Anglican strongholds in Africa, for her support for gay marriage and other positions described as “liberal.”
Others still objected to her appointment due to her perceived closeness to her predecessor, Justin Welby, who resigned after the revelation of serial sex abuse occurring at an Anglican summer camp; an inquiry found that Welby did not sufficiently act to protect the children.
Most Revd. Mbanda, writing on behalf of GAFCON, described the leadership of the Anglican Church in England as having moved too astray from the core teaching of the faith.
“The first Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) gathered in 2008 in Jerusalem to prayerfully respond to the abandonment of the Scriptures by some of the most senior leaders of the Anglican Communion, and to seek their repentance,” his letter read. “In the absence of such repentance, we have been prayerfully advancing towards a future for faithful Anglicans, where the Bible is restored to the heart of the Communion.”
The letter goes on to explicitly “reject” the Archbishop of Canterbury as an authority in the faith, as well as the the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), and the Primates Meeting. The rejection includes no longer participating in global meetings organized by Canterbury and no longer offering any financial contributions to the Church.
“We cannot continue to have communion with those who advocate the revisionist agenda, which has abandoned the inerrant word of God as the final authority,” the reverend wrote, “and overturned Resolution I.10, of the 1998 Lambeth Conference.”
“Today, Gafcon is leading the Global Anglican Communion,” Mbanda wrote. “As has been the case from the very beginning, we have not left the Anglican Communion; we are the Anglican Communion.”
GAFCON establishing itself as a more legitimate Anglican Church refocuses the core of that Church in Africa. Following the mandate in the letter published on Thursday, the group will organize a gathering of the Global Anglican Communion to take place in the capital of Nigeria, Abuja, from March 3 to 6, 2026.
Mullally’s appointment to the role of archbishop of Canterbury in early October triggered widespread outrage in the most conservative churches under Anglicanism, which represents an estimated 85 million Christians around the world. Critics noted that Mullally publicly supported blessing gay marriages and “supported pro-LGBT initiatives within the Communion.”
Mullally appeared to address the divisions in the Church community in oblique terms in her first speech following her appointment. In the issue of sexual abuse, Mullally appeared to imply that she would change the tenor of how the Church addresses the issue, offering, “my commitment will be to ensure that we continue to listen to survivors, care for the vulnerable, and foster a culture of safety and well-being for all.”
“This will not be easy. Our history of safeguarding failures have left a legacy of deep harm and mistrust, and we must all be willing to have light shone on our actions, regardless of our role in the Church,” she added.
Mullally also condemned “tribalism” in her remarks, stating “Anglicanism offers something quieter but stronger: shared history, held in tension, shaped by prayer, and lit from within by the glory of Christ.”
“In our fractured and hurting world, that partnership in the Gospel could not be more vital. Hope is made of the infinite love of God, who breathed life into creation and said it was good,” she asserted. “Hope shimmered in the courage of Abraham and Sarah and the challenging call of the prophets. Hope resounded through Mary’s ‘yes’ to God’s call to bear His Son. Hope is found in Christ’s triumph over sin and death.”
The African Anglican churches reacted with outrage following Mullally’s appointment. In one of the most pointed statements this month, the Anglican Church in Nigeria called the appointment “devastating.”
“More disturbing that Bishop Sarah Mullally is a strong supporter of same-sex marriage as evidenced in her speech in 2023, after a vote to approve the blessings of homosexuals when she described the result as a moment of hope for the Church,” the statement from the Most Reverend Henry C. Ndukuba, Archbishop, Metropolitan, and Primate of the Church of Nigeria, read.
“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 an enormous crisis across the entire Anglican Communion for over two decades,” he wrote.
GAFCON issued its own statement at the time condemning the appointment, saying it “abandons global Anglicans, as the Church of England has chosen a leader who will further divide an already split Communion.” The organization hinted on October 3 it would take the measure it did this week to declare itself the true Anglican Church.
“However, due to the failure of successive Archbishops of Canterbury to guard the faith, the office can no longer function as a credible leader of Anglicans, let alone a focus of unity,” the statement on October 3 read. “The reset of our beloved Communion is now uniquely in the hands of Gafcon, and we are ready to take the lead.”
Follow Frances Martel on Facebook and Twitter.
Breitbart News
Read the full article .
