The Anglican Church of Nigeria, the largest Anglican community in the world with more than 18 million worshippers, has declared its "spiritual independence" and severed ties with the Church of England

The Anglican Church of Nigeria, the largest Anglican community in the world with more than 18 million worshippers, has declared its "spiritual independence" and severed ties with the Church of England. The decision stems from its disagreement with the liberal reforms being pursued by the centre.

In an official statement of 3 October, the church's primate, Archbishop Henry Ndukuba, noted that the community "can no longer remain in communion with a structure that has chosen to bless sin and reject the clear teaching of Holy Scripture". The step breaks the spiritual, doctrinal and organisational bonds with the Church of England.

The catalyst of the conflict was the appointment of Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Her support for same-sex marriage and gender equality has drawn criticism from conservative Anglican communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The Church of Nigeria affirmed that it remains faithful to "the authority of the Word of God and the unchanging Gospel of Christ" and will continue to hold to the traditional understanding of marriage as a union of a man and a woman.