The Church of Nigeria has ended its formal relationship with the Church in Wales following the appointment of Bishop Cherry Vann, an openly lesbian cleric, as Archbishop of Wales.
This was confirmed in a statement dated August 3, 2025, and signed by the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Most Rev. Henry C. Ndukuba.
“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.
According to the Church of Nigeria, the election goes against its understanding of Christian doctrine, particularly in relation to sexuality and leadership.
Primate Ndukuba said, “The election of a practising lesbian as an archbishop is not only a departure from the faith once delivered to the saints, but a defiance of God’s order.”
The Church has declared that the Church in Wales will now be treated as being in a state of impaired communion. This means there will be no joint worship, ministry cooperation, or formal fellowship between the two bodies.
“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.
This announcement comes shortly after a reaffirmation of the Church of Nigeria’s position on LGBTQ issues.
Last month at a press conference, the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Calabar, Rev Nneoyi Egbe had stated the Church’s view on LGBTQ matters.
He said, “God nor the Bible has not changed, so we are not changing on this matter of LGBTQ.”
“We do not condemn them, in fact, we welcome them but we tell them clearly what the Bible said,” he added. “If they are willing to receive it and repent, that is ok, we love them. But our position as a church is that we don’t condone or tolerate LGBTQ in any way; marriage, according to God’s plan, is between a man and a woman, nothing else.”
