The installation of Sarah Mullally as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury is shaking the global Anglican Communion to its foundations. Conservative clergy from the Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon)—a movement claiming to represent the majority of the world’s 95 million Anglicans—are meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, to elect their own rival spiritual leader. Gafcon, formed in 2008 over same-sex union disputes, refuses to recognize Mullally’s authority. They believe that church leadership should remain exclusively male, citing biblical tradition, and describe Mullally’s installation as an ongoing colonial imposition by the Church of England. While most of Gafcon’s support comes from Africa, some on the continent oppose its stance. Notably, Kenya’s first female bishop and the Anglican Church of Southern Africa celebrated Mullally’s appointment. The dispute reflects broader tensions between progressive Western churches and conservative Global South congregations over issues of gender and sexuality.
BBC
