Same-sex marriage: Church of Nigeria rejects Sarah Mullally’s election

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has condemned the appointment of the Rt. Rev. Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, describing the development as devastating and insensitive to the convictions of the majority of Anglicans worldwide.

In a statement issued on Monday by its Primate, The Most Rev’d Henry C. Ndukuba, the Church said Sarah Mullally’s election, announced on Friday, October 3, 2025, disregards the theological and moral challenges currently facing the Anglican Communion.

According to the statement, the decision to appoint Bishop Mullally represents a double jeopardy both because of her being a woman in episcopal leadership, which many Anglicans oppose, and her well-known support for same-sex marriage.

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The Church cited Mullally’s remarks in 2023 following a vote by the Church of England to approve blessings for same-sex couples, where she described the outcome as a moment of hope for the Church.

The Church of Nigeria said such a position undermines biblical authority and threatens the unity of the global Anglican family.

“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 Communion for over two decades,” the statement read.

The Nigerian Anglican leadership said the development confirms that “the global Anglican world could no longer accept the leadership of the Church of England and that of the Archbishop of Canterbury.”

Reaffirming its alignment with the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) movement, the Church of Nigeria pledged to uphold “the authority of the Scriptures, our historic creeds, evangelism and holy Christian living,” in defiance of what it described as the Church of England’s “revisionist agenda.”

Archbishop Ndukuba also expressed solidarity with members of the Church of England who continue to reject same-sex marriage and other ungodly teachings, urging them to “contend for the faith once delivered to the saints.”

Rev. Mullally’s election marks the first time a woman has been chosen as Archbishop of Canterbury, a move hailed by progressives but met with sharp criticism from conservative Anglican provinces, including Nigeria, Uganda, and parts of Asia.