Global Anglicans Break from Canterbury, Launch New Leadership Council

Global Anglican leaders have formally separated from the Archbishop of Canterbury and the UK-based leadership structures of the Anglican Communion, inaugurating a new governing council in Abuja.

The move, confirmed by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), follows years of disagreement over key doctrinal issues, including same-sex relationships and the ordination of women as bishops. Conservative Anglican churches across Africa, Asia, and South America are now asserting what they describe as a return to the original biblical foundations of the faith.

The announcement came at the conclusion of the Global Anglican Council meeting, held from March 3 to March 6 in Abuja. The gathering included 347 bishops and 121 lay and clerical leaders representing 27 provinces worldwide.

In a resolution released after the meeting, the council declared the official formation of the Global Anglican Communion as a confessional body, independent of Canterbury’s institutional authority. Archbishop Laurent Mbanda was elected Chair of the new council, with Archbishop Miguel Uchôa as Deputy Chair and Bishop Paul Donison as General Secretary.

The council stated that the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lambeth Conference no longer serve as credible spiritual authorities, accusing Church of England leadership of compromising biblical teachings. The statement cited “cultural capitulation” and the normalization of practices contrary to Scripture.

Under the new resolutions, member provinces are prohibited from attending future Primates’ Meetings, the Lambeth Conference, or the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC). Provinces are also directed to stop financial contributions to the ACC and refuse funds from what the council described as “compromised sources.”

Provinces are encouraged to revise their constitutions to remove references to the See of Canterbury. The council affirmed the Jerusalem Declaration as the sole confession of faith required for membership, shifting the definition of Anglican identity from institutional affiliation to a shared doctrinal commitment.

The council also announced the replacement of the Gafcon Primates Council with the Global Anglican Council as the central body for validating new provinces and safeguarding theological integrity.

Despite the clear separation, the council described itself not as a breakaway group but as a “historic Anglican Communion reordered from within,” calling on all faithful Anglicans to join the new structure based on truth and shared beliefs.

The Church of Nigeria, under Archbishop Henry Ndukuba, has already formally cut ties with the Church of England, citing its current leadership approach as “insensitive and devastating” to orthodox Anglican faith.