Archbishop Welby made the remarks during a visit to the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna, where he met with Governor Uba Sani. The visit took place on the sidelines of his participation as Guest Speaker at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria Convocation Lecture.

Recalling his first trip to Kaduna in 2002, the former Anglican leader said the state was then deeply divided, frequently rocked by violence and mistrust. He noted that the calm and unity evident today stood in sharp contrast to his earlier experience, prompting him to acknowledge the progress made by the current leadership.

According to him, Kaduna’s transformation offers hope to societies struggling with diversity-related conflicts, demonstrating that sustained dialogue, reconciliation and inclusive leadership can produce lasting peace.

Responding, Governor Uba Sani thanked the former Archbishop for his visit and kind words, describing them as recognition of the state’s commitment to peacebuilding. He explained that his administration has adopted what he termed the Kaduna Peace Model, a governance approach anchored on dialogue, inclusiveness, equity and justice.

The governor said the state has not experienced ethno-religious conflict since his administration began, attributing the stability to deliberate policies that discourage identity-based politics and promote collective participation in governance.

He added that his government remains focused on strengthening trust among communities, expanding development to all parts of the state and ensuring that dialogue replaces division.

Governor Sani reaffirmed Kaduna’s resolve to sustain peace, deepen unity among its diverse population and pursue development that benefits all residents.

Recall that on Tuesday 12th November 2024, the archbishop of the Church of England, Welby, resigned over his handling of a child abuse case, according to his official account.

Gafcon through a press statement released today and signed by the Most Revd. Dr. Laurent Mbanda, Chairman of the Gafcon Primates Council noted that while the Gafcon Primates have been critical of the Archbishop’s leadership, the circumstances of his resignation is not an occasion for rejoicing, but for grief and self-reflection.

The statement reads thus; 

“We are saddened by the news of the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the reasons for his decision. While the Gafcon Primates have been critical of the Archbishop’s leadership, the circumstances of his resignation is not an occasion for rejoicing, but for grief and self-reflection.

The presence of child sexual abuse in the church of God is a pernicious evil, which has brought devastating, long-term effects upon survivors and their families. Yet their trauma is only exacerbated by negligence or inaction in pursuing and prosecuting perpetrators for their crimes. Such failures to act also grieve the heart of God and bring shame upon his church.

We appreciate Archbishop Justin’s willingness to resign from his office, as it shows evidence of his desire to take responsibility for his own lack of action in investigating the allegations against John Smyth, which came to light in 2013. While his own admission of regret and remorse is welcome, the past cannot be undone.

Leadership in any sphere of life is challenging, and no less so in the church of God. Christian leaders are called to be shepherds of the flock. Yet, none of us is perfect, as we all make mistakes, but owning our failures is also the mark of good leadership. While some errors of judgment have greater consequences than others, the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, knows our frailty and forgives all who are truly penitent. He also cares for the downcast and broken, as he cares for those who have been abused.

We pray for Archbishop Justin, his wife Caroline, and his family as the days ahead will not be without difficulty. We also pray for all those who have experienced sexual abuse by false shepherds in the church of God. May they know the peace of God that passes understanding and that heals all our infirmities.”

Why Welby Resigned

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who is the head of the Anglican Church in England, on Tuesday, resigned following a review that revealed senior church leaders, including Welby, covered up the abuse of over 100 boys and young men by one of its own.

The abuse was perpetrated by a British lawyer, John Smyth, who led Christian summer camps in the United Kingdom and other countries during the 1970s and 1980s.

The independent review released last week found that despite repeated efforts by individuals to bring Smyth’s actions to light, the response from the Church of England was inadequate, amounting to a cover-up.

Smyth, who died in South Africa in 2018 without facing any legal proceedings, had abused boys and young men under his care for decades.

The review revealed that the Church’s failure to act enabled Smyth to continue his abuse in the UK and abroad.

In a statement announcing his resignation, Welby regretted the Church’s failures.

“The last few days have renewed my long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England,” Welby said in a statement announcing his resignation.

Welby admitted that he first learnt about the abuse allegations in 2013, the same year he became Archbishop, but acknowledged that his efforts to investigate and address the situation were insufficient.

He said, “For nearly 12 years, I have struggled to introduce improvements. It is for others to judge what has been done.”

The Archbishop’s resignation came amid growing criticism from victims and other church leaders.

The Bishop of Newcastle, Helen-Ann Hartley, remarked, “I think, rightly, people are asking the question: ‘Can we really trust the Church of England to keep us safe?’ And I think the answer at the moment is ‘no.”

Survivor Andrew Morse, who was among those abused by Smyth as a teenager, had called for Welby’s resignation. He criticized the Archbishop’s handling of the situation, stating that had Welby acted decisively in 2013, further abuse could have been prevented.

Welby concluded his statement by acknowledging the profound impact of the review’s findings, noting the pain endured by the victims and the failure of the Church to protect those in its care.

“I am so sorry that in places where these young men, and boys, should have felt safe and where they should have experienced God’s love for them, they were subjected to physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse,” he added.

In a press release by the Gafcon Primates’ Council on Thursday 31st of October 2024 and made available to ACNNTV, the statement noted that Archbishop Welby’s recent explicit repudiation of Christian doctrine in his interview on Britain’s podcast, ‘The Rest is Politics,’ has brought it to repeat the serious call for his personal repentance.

Gafcon also noted its supports to all faithful Anglicans, both those who have chosen to leave established provinces where the authority of Scripture has been compromised, as well as those who choose to remain as they seek to reform their province from within.

Read Full Statement Below.

We, the Gafcon Primates, meeting in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, to celebrate the investiture of Archbishop Steve Wood as the third Primate of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) and to welcome him as a Primate of the Anglican Communion, send greetings to the faithful.

We wish we could write to you about our great joy for mission, evangelism, and church planting, but recent statements by the Archbishop of Canterbury require us to yet again address an urgent matter surrounding biblical ethics confronting our beloved Anglican church.

The recent actions of the General Synod of the Church of England, where Archbishop Justin Welby has championed the introduction of same-sex blessings into the life of the Church of England, has galvanised the Gafcon movement in the ongoing reset of the Anglican Communion. However, Archbishop Welby’s recent explicit repudiation of Christian doctrine in his interview on Britain’s podcast, ‘The Rest is Politics,’ has brought us to repeat our serious call for his personal repentance.

In this interview, he publicly states that:

“all sexual activity should be within a committed relationship and whether it’s straight or gay. In other words, we’re not giving up on the idea that sex is within marriage or civil partnership. We’ve put forward a proposal that where people have been through a civil partnership or a same-sex marriage, equal marriage under the 2014 Act, they should be able to come along to their local, to a church, and have a service of prayer and blessing for them in their lives together.”

While he may claim not to have changed the doctrine of marriage, the Archbishop of Canterbury has demonstrably changed the doctrine of sin, by promoting the sanctification of sin by means of a divine blessing.

This is in clear breach of Holy Scripture, which unequivocally teaches that the only proper context for sexual intimacy is in the relationship of a man and woman who have been joined together in marriage. All forms of sexual intimacy outside of this context are condemned as immorality and are behaviors from which the people of God are regularly called to repent (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

It is also in clear breach of Resolution I.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference, which rejected, “homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture,” and which the Archbishop as recently as 2022 declared to be the teaching of the Anglican Communion, including the Church of England.

We are guided by Jesus’ solemn words of warning to the Church of Thyatira, because, “they tolerate the teaching of Jezebel,” which endorses sexual immorality. Only judgment awaits Jezebel and all who follow her, unless they repent (Revelation 2:21-22; 22:15). Any toleration, let alone endorsement, of immorality is liable to God’s judgment.

For this reason, in response to his public comments, we solemnly repeat our call for Archbishop Justin Welby to personally and publicly repent of this denial of his ordination and consecration vows, where he promised to, “teach the doctrine of Christ as the Church of England has received it.”

Gafcon supports all faithful Anglicans, both those who have chosen to leave established provinces where the authority of Scripture has been compromised, as well as those who choose to remain as they seek to reform their province from within.

Therefore, we continue to champion The Anglican Network in Europe (ANiE) as Gafcon’s authentically-Anglican structural provision for those who cannot by conscience remain within the historic, revisionist structures.

Additionally, we express our support for The Alliance as they seek to stand firm in defense of biblical marriage within the Church of England, and we stand ready to defend, authenticate, and support them.

Finally, we declare afresh to all those in England who, “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to all the saints,” that you are not alone.

Gafcon Primates’ Council.
Reformation Day,
31 October 2024.

Archbishop Mbanda expressed his disappointment over Welby’s letter to the Church of Uganda that states he was in “grief” and “sorrow” over the church of Uganda’s support for the reinforcement of anti-homosexual law passed by the parliament and government of Uganda. Sadly, he did not express any grief or sorrow over the crisis that has torn apart the Anglican Communion under his watch nor the downward slide of the compromised Church of England (and the Canterbury Cathedral) which is his See.

More so he pointed out one of the resolutions of the church from the Lambert Conference of 1988; Resolution 1.10 which states the agreement and stand of the church on homosexuality, which states as follows:

1. That the teaching of Scripture, upholds faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman in a lifelong union,
2. That it rejects homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture and
3. That Lambeth cannot advise the legitimizing or blessing of same-sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same-gender unions.

Mbanda questioned the rights and legitimacy of the archbishop of Canterbury to call the leadership of Gafcon to honour the commitment  to Resolution 1.10 when he has become the spokesperson to defend practicing homosexuals and advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights which is against the said resolution. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Church of England, and other revisionist Anglican Provinces in the West should instead, show sorrow for their sin and failure to follow the word of God, which is the primary source for Anglican theology and divine revelation.

He unalterably reiterated “Homosexuality is a sin. We do not accept LGBT. It is a sin. We will never allow it or trick our children into embracing it. Instead, we need to teach them the word of God so that they can accept Christ”

It is important to note that Gafcon and the GSFA had earlier declared unequivocally that “The archbishop of Canterbury is no longer recognized as the head, leader, or spokesperson of the Anglican Communion, he has lost every power and authority to dictate to or advise other Primates and Provinces of the Communion who oversee 85% of the Global Communion”.

According to Archbishop Mbanda “It is relevant to remind the archbishop of Canterbury that Africa is no longer a colony of the “British Empire” and the Church of England has no jurisdiction over the Anglican Provinces on the continent of Africa. As such, he should stop meddling with the internal affairs of the Anglicans on the continent of Africa” he said.

The Gafcon Chair noted therefore, according to the section of Lambeth Resolution 1.10 which enjoins non-discrimination against persons who experience or practice homosexuality is not an endorsement of the sinful act, but a call for a normal pastoral approach and the responsibility of Church ministers to offer care and counsel to sinners of all categories.

“We will not prevent people (LGBT) from attending church services. The church is for sinners who are saved by God’s grace. We welcome anyone who joins us. We should share with them the good news because the church is for all of us. We pray that everyone repents and accepts Jesus Christ,” He added.

Read Also: Church of Uganda Grateful for Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023

The statement concluded with Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14; “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgement, including every secret thing, whether good or evil”.

“I am gravely concerned by the draft anti-LGBTQ+ Bill due to be debated by the Ghanaian parliament. I will be speaking with the Archbishop of Ghana in the coming days to discuss the Anglican Church of Ghana’s response to the Bill.

“The majority of Anglicans within the global Anglican Communion are committed to upholding both the traditional teaching on marriage as laid out in the 1998 Lambeth Conference Resolution I:10, and the rights of every person, regardless of sexual orientation, before the law. In Resolution I:10, the Anglican Communion also made a commitment “to assure [LGBTQ+ people] that they are loved by God and that all baptised, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ.” Meanwhile on numerous occasions the Primates of the Anglican Communion have stated their opposition to the criminalisation of same-sex attracted people: most recently, and unanimously, in the communiqué of the 2016 Primates’ Meeting.

“I remind our brothers and sisters in the Anglican Church of Ghana of these commitments.

“We are a global family of churches, but the mission of the church is the same in every culture and country: to demonstrate, through its actions and words, God’s offer of unconditional love to every human being through Jesus Christ.”