A global coalition of conservative Anglicans has abandoned plans to appoint a new leader who would serve as a rival to the archbishop of Canterbury.
The Global Anglican Futures Conference (GAFCON), founded in 2008, held the first official gathering of the Global Anglican Communion in Abuja, Nigeria, from March 3 to 6.
In a communiqué released Thursday, GAFCON announced that the Global Anglican Communion would instead be governed by a collective leadership body known as the Global Anglican Council rather than a single “primus inter pares,” or “first among equals.”
The Right Rev. Paul Donison explained that the new structure is intended to broaden leadership beyond a single figure.
“The expanded Council reflects the willingness of the Primates to share their authority with a wider group of global Anglican leaders, both lay and clergy.”
“While the Chairman of the Council will be a Primate, he will not be primus inter pares,” said Donison. “Believing that the current Instruments of Communion no longer meet the needs of the majority of Anglicans around the world, the Global Anglican Communion is to be led by a conciliar structure.”
Archbishop Laurent Mbanda was unanimously chosen to serve as chairman of the council. Archbishop Miguel Uchoa was elected vice chairman, while Donison was selected to serve as the council’s general secretary.
All three leaders will hold their roles until the conclusion of GAFCON V, which is scheduled to take place in Athens, Greece, in 2028. Under the organization’s framework, primates who retire between assemblies may remain members of the council until the next global gathering concludes.
GAFCON originally formed in Jerusalem in 2008 as divisions deepened within the Anglican Communion over issues including same-sex marriage and homosexuality. The movement draws strong support from conservative Anglicans, particularly from churches in Africa.
In October, after the Church of England announced the appointment of London Bishop Sarah Mullally as the first female archbishop of Canterbury, GAFCON declared the creation of the Global Anglican Communion.
Before last week’s meeting in Abuja, observers believed the Global Anglican Communion might appoint its own “first among equals,” effectively creating a rival global leader to Mullally, who is scheduled to be formally installed on March 25.
Mullally had already assumed the legal responsibilities of the office earlier this year during a Confirmation of Election service held in January at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
