Conservative Anglican leaders meeting in Abuja have stepped back from plans to appoint a rival leader to the Archbishop of Canterbury, a move that could have triggered a major leadership dispute within the global Anglican community.
The discussions were held by Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon), a network of conservative Anglican churches that has previously criticized developments within the mainstream Anglican Communion.
Initially, some members had proposed electing a separate “primus inter pares”—Latin for “first among equals”—which traditionally describes the role of the Archbishop of Canterbury as the symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Church.
Such a move would have been widely interpreted as a direct challenge to Sarah Mullally, who is regarded as the ceremonial leader of the global Anglican Communion and is expected to formally begin her tenure soon.
Instead, Gafcon announced that it would move away from traditional leadership structures and titles. The group unveiled a new leadership council headed by Laurent Mbanda.
The announcement prompted some confusion among reporters present at the event, with observers suggesting that the creation of a separate leadership council could still be interpreted as a form of defiance against the traditional leadership structure of the Anglican Communion.
The Anglican Communion is one of the largest Christian communions globally, with approximately 95 million members spread across different countries. The Archbishop of Canterbury traditionally serves as its spiritual figurehead.
Later this month, Archbishop Mullally is expected to be formally installed during a ceremony in Canterbury, marking the official start of her leadership role.
