By Atoyebi Nike
The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has officially severed ties with the Church in Wales over its election of Bishop Cherry Vann, an openly lesbian cleric, as Archbishop of Wales.
In a statement dated August 3 and signed by its Primate, Most Rev. Henry C. Ndukuba, the Church declared it could no longer maintain communion with what it described as a body that has strayed from biblical teaching.
“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,” Ndukuba stated.
He described the move as a violation of Christian doctrine on sexuality and leadership, labelling it a defiance of God’s order. The Church of Nigeria declared a “state of impaired communion” with Wales, halting all worship, fellowship, and ministry cooperation.
This latest split mirrors previous decisions by the Nigerian Church to cut ties with the U.S. Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada over similar issues.
Ndukuba reaffirmed Nigeria’s alignment with GAFCON and other conservative Anglican bodies, warning members to avoid any liturgical or ministry collaboration with the Church in Wales.
“We will not compromise with churches that embrace unbiblical innovations,” the Church concluded.
