LONDON (FN) — The Anglican Communion, one of the world’s largest Protestant church families, is facing its most serious crisis in decades as conservative leaders push for a final break while others weigh proposals to restructure leadership and reduce Canterbury’s historic role.
The Global Anglican Future Conference, or Gafcon, announced in October that it would no longer recognize the Communion’s traditional structures, rejecting the symbolic authority of the archbishop of Canterbury. The move followed the appointment of Archbishop Sarah Mullally as the first woman to hold the post — hailed in England as historic but condemned by conservatives for her support of same‑sex blessings.
“The future has arrived,” said Archbishop Laurent Mbanda of Rwanda, Gafcon’s chairman. “We declare that the Anglican Communion will be reordered.” Under Gafcon’s plan, a new “Global Anglican Communion” would be overseen by a council of primates, with an elected chairman serving as “first among equals.”
Nigeria and Uganda, two of Africa’s largest Anglican provinces, have endorsed the measure, alongside Rwanda and smaller churches from Myanmar to the Americas. Nigeria’s Archbishop Henry Ndukuba called Mullally’s stance on same‑sex issues “devastating” and said the global Anglican world could no longer accept the leadership of the Church of England.
Yet not all conservatives are ready to leave. Congo’s Archbishop Georges Titre Ande said his church opposes liberal trends but intends to remain within the Communion, working to “reform, heal and revitalize” it rather than abandon it.
Meanwhile, the Communion itself is weighing proposals to restructure leadership. Bishop Graham Tomlin, chair of the committee that drafted the plan, said it would de‑emphasize Canterbury and share authority more widely. “The proposals won’t solve all the differences,” he said, “but they do seek to provide a structure within which people of deeply different convictions can remain in good conscience.”
Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe of the Episcopal Church dismissed Gafcon’s latest statement as “more of the same” from a subgroup that has largely disengaged. “I’m really interested in being in relationship with people who want to continue our relationships across the communion,” he said.
Mullally’s appointment has become a flashpoint. While she affirmed the Church of England’s definition of marriage as between a man and a woman, she supported blessings for same‑sex couples and acknowledged “the harm that we have done” to LGBTQ+ people. Her stance has drawn sharp criticism from African leaders, where homosexuality remains taboo and in some cases criminalized. Uganda’s Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba said her advocacy “widened the tear in the fabric of the Anglican Communion.”
Reactions have varied across Africa. In Ghana, clergy voiced concern that Mullally’s support for same‑sex blessings could alienate them, while others welcomed her appointment as a breakthrough for women but opposed her stance on unions. In South Africa, where same‑sex marriage is legal, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba offered “warm congratulations” and said he was focused on interfaith peacemaking rather than internal disputes.
The Anglican Communion, with an estimated 85 million members across 165 countries, has wrestled with divisions since 2003, when the U.S. Episcopal Church ordained its first openly gay bishop. Conservatives formed Gafcon in response, and large provinces such as Nigeria and Uganda have since distanced themselves from traditional Communion structures.
Whether Gafcon’s breakaway or the Communion’s restructuring proposals prevail, Anglicanism faces a historic crossroads. The outcome will determine whether one of Christianity’s largest global families can hold together — or whether its slow‑growing schism finally becomes complete.
