The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has officially announced the severance of its ties with the Church in Wales, following the election of Bishop Cherry Vann, an openly lesbian cleric, as Archbishop of Wales.
In a statement dated August 3, 2025, and signed by the Primate, Most Rev. Henry C. Ndukuba, the Nigerian church declared the election a departure from biblical teaching and an unacceptable deviation from Anglican tradition.
“We do not recognise the so-called Archbishop of Wales and cannot share communion with a church that has departed from the teachings of the Bible,” the statement read.
The Church of Nigeria described the election of a practising lesbian as an archbishop as a “defiance of God’s order” and a serious breach of biblical doctrine on sexuality and spiritual leadership.
As a result, the Church of Nigeria has placed the Church in Wales in a “state of impaired communion,” meaning there will be no shared fellowship, worship, or ministry between the two bodies going forward.
“In line with our commitment to the authority of Scripture and the historic Christian faith, we declare a state of impaired communion with the Church in Wales,” the statement continued.
The Nigerian Anglican Church compared the move to its earlier withdrawals from the U.S. Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada, both of which had embraced similar doctrinal shifts regarding same-sex relationships.
“The Church in Wales has chosen to walk in the path of spiritual ruin,” Primate Ndukuba stated, adding that such theological positions “undermine the witness and mission of the Church.”
He reaffirmed the Church of Nigeria’s full allegiance to GAFCON (Global Anglican Future Conference) and other orthodox Anglican provinces that uphold traditional biblical doctrine.
“We stand firm in our call to uphold biblical faith, and we will not compromise with churches that embrace unbiblical innovations,” Ndukuba emphasized.
The statement concluded with a strong warning to Nigerian Anglicans, urging them to avoid any ministry cooperation or liturgical engagement with the Church in Wales or its representatives.
PUNCH
