Conservative anglicans meeting in Nigeria say they seek continuity, not schism

Conservative Anglicans in Nigeria Emphasize Church Continuity, Not Schism

GAFCON's Position and the Anglican Communion

By Camillus Eboh

Background and Recent Developments

ABUJA, March 4 (Reuters) - A grouping of conservative churches which refuses to accept a woman as the titular head of the worldwide Anglican Communion denied on Wednesday that it was causing a schism but said it was seeking to uphold continuity in the Church.

The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), grouping conservative churches mainly in Africa and Asia, opposes liberal shifts in parts of the Communion, including the ordination of women and greater inclusion of LGBTQ+ members.

The Appointment of a Woman Archbishop

Last year's decision by the Church of England, the Anglican Communion's "mother church", to appoint its first woman Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, has particularly upset GAFCON, which plans this week to elect a rival leader.

GAFCON's Response and Vision

Speaking to reporters at the start of a three-day meeting in Nigeria, GAFCON spokesman Justin Murff said the grouping was not seeking to break away from the Anglican Communion but to "reorganise and realign" it around Biblical authority. 

"This is not a schism. It is actually a claim to continuity," Murff said.

GAFCON's Growth and Representation

Formed in 2008, GAFCON says it now represents the majority of practising Anglicans worldwide.

"Logically, it doesn't make sense that 20 people in the UK with very little input from the Global South could actually decide who the global leader of the Anglican Church is," Murff said.    

GAFCON's expansion reflects demographic reality in Anglicanism, with most practising members now in Africa, Asia and Latin America, he added.

Historical Context and Ongoing Tensions

Origins of the Church of England

The Church of England emerged nearly 500 years ago when King Henry VIII broke from Rome.

The Archbishop of Canterbury's Role

For centuries, the Archbishop of Canterbury has served as the titular head of 85 million Anglicans in 165 countries.

Modern Divisions and Doctrinal Disputes

But that authority, rooted in the British Empire's missionary reach to former colonies, has been pushed to breaking point in recent decades by splits over women's ordination and same-sex rights, straining ties between England's now more progressive church and the more traditional churches in Africa and Asia.

Murff said churches that authorise same-sex blessings or expanded marriage rights have "broken communion", not those defending traditional doctrine. 

(Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writitng by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo)