Anglicans who hold fast to traditional interpretations of scripture have been responding to the news that GAFCON will no longer recognise the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury or the other Instruments of Communion – Lambeth Palace, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), and the Primates Meeting.
It follows years of concern among conservative Anglicans over the direction of the Church of England, particularly regarding issues such as same-sex marriage and gender.
Archbishops of Canterbury don't have legal authority outside England, but they are recognised among the Anglican Communion as 'first among equals'.
Rev Dr Ian Paul, who is a member of General Synod, told Premier he believes the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welb,y could have done more to maintain the Communion:
“I think that the Archbishop and the Communion as a whole have failed," he said.
"They failed to maintain fellowship, they failed to listen to the voices of those in Africa and Asia. They've failed to hold to account provinces which say, ‘we're just going to do our own thing, and do not feel obliged by the bonds of fellowship’.”
Susie Leafe, who is director of Anglican Futures and a former member of General Synod, agreed.
“I think it's absolutely the failure of the Instruments of Communion, of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and I think it's been because they've tried to institutionally hold the Anglican Communion together," she told Premier.
"They've focused on keeping people coming to meetings, keeping people giving money, those kinds of things. But what they haven't done is looked at the very fundamentals of why we're gathering together.”
The move comes just two weeks after the announcement of Rt Rev Dame Sarah Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury designate.
Susie Leafe doesn't think the move is related to her gender.
“I don't think her gender was the key thing. I think that the fact that she held progressive views was important," she told Premier
"So I think that if the Archbishop of Canterbury had been a man or a woman who held conservative views and was going to be leading the communion in repentance and faith back under the authority of Scripture, then that would have been fine. But what it was a very clear symbol that the Church of England was, in a sense, stepping back from its role as wanting to take notice of the wider Anglican Communion, they chose to appoint somebody who wasn't going to be able to bring the communion back together.”
The Global Anglican Communion will celebrate its formation at the upcoming G26 Bishops Conference in Abuja, Nigeria, in March 2026.
Lambeth Palace has told Premier it won’t be responding to the GAFCON announcement.
Premier has also contacted the Anglican Communion for a response.