GAFCON, a movement of conservative, biblically orthodox Anglicans, has announced that it will no longer recognize the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It has also instructed provinces to remove any reference to being in communion with the See of Canterbury and the Church of England.
In what is being viewed as a major split in the Anglican Communion and a snub to the Church of England, the GAFCON primates issued a statement saying the Anglican Communion will be “reordered” and that provinces of the Global Anglican Communion will not take part in meetings called by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
They have also rejected the other so-called Instruments of Communion, which include the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), and the Primates' Meeting. The primates said those instruments have “failed to uphold the doctrine and discipline of the Anglican Communion.”
The statement, written by GAFCON chairman Most Rev. Dr. Laurent Mbanda, Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church of Rwanda, said GAFCON primates could not continue to have communion with those who “advocate the revisionist agenda, which has abandoned the inerrant Word of God as the final authority.”
Anglicans who hold traditional biblical views have long opposed the Church of England’s stance on issues such as sexuality and gender.
The statement, published on Thursday, came almost two weeks after Rt. Rev. Dame Sarah Mullally was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury-designate, becoming the first woman to hold the role.
Earlier this year, the Church in Wales also elected Most Rev. Cherry Vann, who is in a same-sex relationship, as Archbishop of Wales.
The GAFCON statement said the bishops have been “prayerfully advancing toward a future for faithful Anglicans, where the Bible is restored to the heart of the Communion.” They said it will be “translated, read, preached, taught, and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense, respectful of the church’s historic and consensual reading.”
Archbishop Mbanda said the new structure will comprise a fellowship of autonomous provinces and will be known as the Global Anglican Communion.
Members must assent to the Jerusalem Declaration of 2008, which reaffirms the authority of Holy Scripture and rejects the authority of churches and leaders who deny orthodox faith.
Concluding the statement, Archbishop Mbanda said: “...the reset of our beloved Communion is now uniquely in the hands of GAFCON, and we are ready to take the lead.”
He added: “As has been the case from the very beginning, we have not left the Anglican Communion; we are the Anglican Communion.”
The Global Anglican Communion will celebrate its formation at the upcoming G26 Bishops Conference in Abuja, Nigeria, in March 2026.
Premier has contacted Lambeth Palace for a response.