Conservative Anglican archbishops object to new archbishop of Canterbury as others celebrate her

[Episcopal News Service] The announcement last week that London Bishop Sarah Mullally would become the Church of England’s first female archbishop of Canterbury was cheered by many in The Episcopal Church and in provinces across the Anglican Communion, potentially signaling a new era for the global Anglican leadership role, which has centuries of history.

In sharp contrast, the reaction of some conservative Anglican leaders in Africa and other parts of the Global South has been decidedly negative.

“Grievous” was the adjective used by the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches. It issued a statement calling Mullally’s selection “one further symptom of the crisis of faith and authority” in the Anglican Communion.

Another organization of conservative Anglicans, GAFCON, said it received the news with “sorrow” and restated its arguments that the archbishop of Canterbury “can no longer function as a credible leader of Anglicans, let alone a focus of unity.”

And Nigeria Archbishop Henry Ndukuba called Mullally’s selection “devastating.” Ndukuba’s province has boycotted most Anglican Communion gatherings for years in protest of the theological diversity of beliefs and practices represented by the 42 autonomous, interdependent Anglican provinces. He and the Anglican Communion’s most conservative leaders have insisted on theological uniformity, particularly regarding human sexuality and traditional gender roles.

“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 said in a written statement released Oct. 6.

Mullally, 63, was named the 106th archbishop of Canterbury on Oct. 3 after her nomination was approved by King Charles III through a process overseen by the Church of England. She is scheduled to take office in January after a final election and confirmation by church leaders.

The archbishop of Canterbury, as England’s most senior bishop, has long been seen as an “instrument of communion” among the provinces of Anglican Communion, which number 85 million members and all have historic ties with the Church of England. Mullally will become the “first among equals” alongside the primates of the other 41 Anglican provinces, with responsibility for convening the Primates’ Meeting and Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops.

The archbishop of Canterbury’s global leadership role, however, was called into question under Mullally’s predecessor, former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, after the Church of England began in 2023 allowing same-sex couples to receive blessings in its churches. Some conservative bishops said they rejected the continuation of England’s historic leadership role in the Anglican Communion, and they also have said their provinces are in “impaired” communion with provinces like The Episcopal Church that are more progressive on issues of LGBTQ+ inclusion.

The Anglican Consultative Council, an Anglican Communion body with representation from all 42 provinces, is scheduled to discuss possible changes to the leadership structure, including the role of the archbishop of Canterbury, when it meets in June and July 2026. The conservatives’ reactions to Mullally’s selection cast new doubt over those ongoing efforts to mend global relations.

“This appointment abandons global Anglicans, as the Church of England has chosen a leader who will further divide an already split Communion,” Rwanda Archbishop Laurent Mbanda said in a statement on behalf of GAFCON, which he chairs.

GAFCON’s member archbishops include leaders from Anglican provinces, including Alexandria, Chile, Congo, Kenya, Myanmar, Nigeria, South Sudan and Uganda, as well as breakaway factions like the Anglican Church in North America that are not recognized as members of the Anglican Communion.

Mbanda’s statement, affirming the GAFCON teaching that homosexuality is sinful, cited a 2023 statement by Mullally in favor of blessing couples in same-sex relationships. When the Church of England authorized those blessings in February 2023, Mullally called it “a moment of hope for the church.” She chaired the group that developed the proposals.

“I know that what we have proposed as a way forward does not go nearly far enough for many but too far for others,” Mullally said then. “It is my prayer that what has been agreed today will represent a step forward for all of us within the Church – including LGBTQI+ people – as we remain committed to walking together.”

Mbanda countered in his GAFCON statement that “it is not lawful for the church to ordain any thing that is contrary to God’s Word,” yet Mullally “has repeatedly promoted unbiblical and revisionist teachings regarding marriage and sexual morality.”

“We pray that as she takes upon herself the weight of this historic office, she will repent, and earnestly work with the GAFCON leadership to mend the torn fabric of our Anglican Communion,” Mbanda said.

The Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches includes some of the same members as GAFCON and some additional provinces in Africa, Asia and South America.  It struck a similar tone in its statement on Mullally’s selection, again admonishing the Church of England for its 2023 vote in favor of same-sex blessings.

“While we shall of course pray for Bishop Mullally as she assumes this historic position, we feel compelled to say that we feel this appointment is a missed opportunity to reunite and reform the Anglican Communion,” South Sudan Archbishop Justin Badi said in the statement, as chair of the Global South Fellowship.

Ndukuba, the Church of Nigeria archbishop, called Mullally’s selection a case of “double jeopardy,” because his and some other conservative provinces do not allow women to become bishops.

“First, in its insensitivity to the conviction of the majority of Anglicans who are unable to embrace female headship in the episcopate, and second, more disturbing that Bishop Sarah Mullally is a strong supporter of same-sex marriage,” he said. “It remains to be seen how the same person hopes to mend the already torn fabric of the Anglican.”

Even so, opposition to Mullally in provinces of the Global South is far from unanimous. Southern Africa Archbishop Thabo Makgoba issued a statement offering Mullally “warm congratulations.”

“The historic appointment of the first woman as archbishop of Canterbury is a thrilling development,” Makgoba said. “We heartily welcome the announcement and look forward to working with her as we all try to respond prophetically and pastorally to what God is up to in God’s world.”

Bishop Anthony Poggo, a South Sudanese bishop who serves as secretary general of the Anglican Communion, issued a statement celebrating the selection of Mullally and inviting Anglicans “to pray for her as she prepares to take up this important ministry.

“May God grant her wisdom and discernment, as she seeks to listen to member churches, encourage mutual support, and foster unity.”

In Nigeria, too, not all Anglicans agree with Ndukuba’s criticisms of Mullally.

“I think it’s a very wonderful thing,” Mary Okolie, a Nigerian missionary, told the French news program “Eye on Africa” in an interview about the first woman chosen as archbishop of Canterbury. “It’s also a way that God will prove to our generation that what he has been using men to do he can also use women to do it.”

And in Kenya, the Rt. Rev. Emily Onyango, who became the province’s first female bishop in 2021, told Religion News Service she was “very excited” for Mullally to become archbishop of Canterbury. “It means a lot for the church. Being the first woman archbishop of Canterbury, we believe things will be done differently,” Onyango said. “We know there will be justice in the church, and we know she will work for peace and unity — something we need both in the church and in the world.”

– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.