GAFCON, the movement of conservative, biblically orthodox Anglicans has announced that it will no longer recognise the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It has also told provinces to remove any reference to being in communion with the See of Canterbury and the Church of England.
In what has been viewed as a major split in the Anglican Communion and a snub to the Church of England, the GAFCON primates have issued a statement which said the Anglican Communion will be “reordered” and provinces of the Global Anglican Communion won’t take part in meetings called by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
They have also rejected the other so-called Instruments of Communion. These 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 the GAFCON chairman, Most Rev Dr Laurent Mbanda,Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church of Rwanda, highlighted that 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 rallied against 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 ever female 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 made it clear that the bishops have been “prayerfully advancing towards 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 Laurent said the new structure will now comprise a fellowship of autonomous provinces and be known as the Global Anglican Communion.
Members must assent to the Jerusalem Declaration of 2008, which reaffirms the authority of the holy scriptures and rejects the authority of churches and leaders who deny orthodox faith.
Concluding the statement, Archbishop Laurent 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.
Source: Premier Christian News