Speaking in his Easter message, delivered at a service broadcast live on UBC TV, NBS TV, Church of Uganda Family TV, and Namirembe FM, Kazimba described the scale of the gathering. “The conference, hosted by the Anglican Church of Nigeria, brought together 347 Anglican bishops and 121 clergy and lay leaders from 27 provinces across the Global Anglican Movement,” he said. His own delegation comprised 41 bishops, six clergy, and five laity.

The G26 gathering, held March 3-6 in Abuja, was a specialised bishops conference — not a full GAFCON Assembly. GAFCON’s own communications in May 2025 described it as a “specialised conference” distinct from its five-yearly assemblies, noting that the next full assembly, GAFCON V, is scheduled for Athens in 2028. The March gathering was convened by Archbishop Laurent Mbanda of Rwanda, then Chairman of the GAFCON Primates Council, who in December 2025 announced that invitations had been sent to 500 delegates across the global Anglican family.

Archbishop Kaziimba’s figures correspond exactly to those in the Abuja Affirmation, the communique issued on March 6 and signed by Archbishop Mbanda as Chairman of the newly constituted Global Anglican Council. The Affirmation opens: “Greetings from Abuja, Nigeria where 347 Anglican bishops and 121 lay and clerical Anglican leaders from 27 provinces met from 3-6 March 2026, generously hosted by our brothers and sisters in the Church of Nigeria.”

Kazimba described the principal institutional outcome of the conference. “The GAFCON Primates Council was transitioned into the newly established Global Anglican Council, which will bring together primates, advisors, and guarantors to provide the oversight and the recognition of provinces and dioceses within the emerging Global Anglican Communion,” he said. He named the new Council’s officers: Archbishop Mbanda of Rwanda as chair, Archbishop Miguel Uchoa of Brazil as deputy chair, and Bishop Paul Donison as General Secretary. Donison’s March 5 communique, issued the day before the Abuja Affirmation, confirmed those appointments and stated that the terms of all three “will conclude at the end of GAFCON V in Athens in 2028.”

The Abuja Affirmation sets out the basis and mandate of the new body. The Council “will acknowledge and welcome existing provinces and dioceses who desire to participate in the Global Anglican Communion, and will be responsible for inviting new Primates to a seat on the Council” as well as authenticating “newly formed provinces and dioceses who seek recognition as Global Anglicans.” Membership of the Council consists of three categories of voting member: primates, advisors, and guarantors.

The Affirmation’s section on “Principled Disengagement” states that leaders holding office in the Global Anglican Council must not attend future Primates’ Meetings called by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, or Anglican Consultative Council meetings, and that office holders who “continue to participate in any Canterbury Instruments will not be able to continue in this role.”

Archbishop Kaziimba connected the conference’s work directly to the Easter season. “The fellowship, which began within the Holy Communion service, continues to play a significant role in shaping what many have described as reordering of the Anglican Global Structures,” he said. He placed the gathering within a wider account of conflict and Christian witness. “I want to invite you to pray for the Middle East,” he told his congregation. “The situation is not good. It can affect all of us.” He connected the regional war to its effects closer to home: “I understand now the prices of gas has gone up. Even where I come from, from Rubukonjo, the banana prices have gone up. And I ask, ‘Why?’ They say because of the war in Middle East. So, all of us are equally affected.”

Following the Abuja conference, Archbishop Kaziimba travelled to Cairo on March 7 to attend the Global Council meeting of the Anglican Relief and Development Fund, where he serves as a trustee. He noted the Fund’s work in Uganda, including emergency response at the Nakivale refugee settlement, support to Sebei diocese for a medical facility, and a commitment to fund the Mama Margaret Kazimba Health Facility in Mityana-Mukono diocese, with the first phase expected to be commissioned later this year.

The Easter message was delivered to the Church of Uganda’s annual Easter gathering and broadcast across multiple Ugandan national television and radio networks.

Anglican Ink
George Conger

On March 5, Asiimwe delivered the second address in a series of twelve titled “The Road to Reordering.” Hosted by the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the conference brought together primates, bishops, and delegates from various regions to assess GAFCON’s progress since its founding. His talk built on the GAFCON Primates’ Martyrs’ Day Statement from October 16, 2025, reviewing 18 years of advocacy for biblical fidelity amid doctrinal shifts in the wider Communion.

Asiimwe introduced himself as a husband, father of three, and evangelist in the Church of Uganda. He referenced the East African Revival of the 1930s, which began in Rwanda and emphasized biblical fellowship as in Acts 2:42–47. He described similar spiritual vitality today in North Kigezi, including conversions, healings, and reconciliations. In a pre-address interview, he called GAFCON the “guardian of biblical orthodoxy,” stressing the need for discipleship amid Uganda’s growing number of converts. He opened with a prayer for wisdom in his leadership and the Church of Uganda’s renewal.

A participant in every GAFCON assembly since the 2008 Jerusalem conference, Asiimwe highlighted the Jerusalem Declaration. This document upholds Scripture, the Thirty-Nine Articles, the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18–20). He outlined a shift from Lambeth’s centralized model to a polycentric structure supported by a primates’ council, adapting orthodox faith to diverse cultures. The diverse G26 delegation, he noted, signals GAFCON’s maturity as it nears its 20th anniversary in 2028.

Asiimwe offered three key observations to support his vision of Anglican reordering. First, the cosmopolitan convocation drew delegates from every inhabited continent, underscoring GAFCON’s broad representation and influence across global Anglicanism beyond any single region’s concerns. Second, confessional cohesion bound participants not through institutional loyalty but via a shared commitment to the historic creeds and core missional imperatives, enabling strong solidarity despite cultural differences. Third, scriptural suzerainty establishes the Bible as the definitive authority in Anglicanism; it counters distortions such as the prosperity gospel prevalent in some African contexts and Western innovations in sexual ethics. Over the past 18 years, GAFCON’s repeated appeals for repentance and reform have been disregarded by Communion instruments like the Lambeth Conferences and the Anglican Consultative Council, whose approaches to collegiality have proven ineffective in maintaining doctrinal standards.

Asiimwe emphasized GAFCON’s proactive and constructive contributions over mere protest. The movement organizes recurrent assemblies and specialized gatherings, such as the current G26 mini-conference. It has nurtured the formation of new provinces, including the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) and the Anglican Church in Brazil. It has planted and supported new dioceses in difficult terrains, from England and broader Europe to communities of former Muslims who have converted to Christ. It runs capacitating programs like the Bishop’s Training Institute, which Asiimwe personally helped establish in Abuja to equip leaders. Additionally, it pursues holistic service through affiliates such as the Anglican Relief & Development Fund, addressing practical needs alongside spiritual formation. These initiatives reflect diligent church-building that has driven significant membership growth, rather than schism.

The address occurred amid ongoing Anglican changes. For Asiimwe, reordering supports evangelism, teaching, and mission, following biblical patterns of renewal. It avoids triumphalism, focusing on stewardship of the Great Commission. The address ended with discussion and praise.

With Africa’s leading role—seen in Nigeria’s hosting and Rwanda’s primateship—G26 strengthens GAFCON’s global witness. Its outcomes may shape Anglicanism’s path toward unity in truth.

George Conger

Anglican Ink

Bishop Donison recited the Beatitudes, showing how Jesus turns the world upside down: blessing comes to the poor in spirit, the grieving, the meek, those hungering for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, peacemakers, and the persecuted. Persecution for the gospel proves this blessing real.

The speech tied this to Jesus’ call to be salt and light, casting GAFCON as the force holding Scripture at Anglicanism’s core.

It recalled the speaker’s first GAFCON in Nairobi in 2013, feeling the global church’s power, and his daughter’s healing through group prayer. GAFCON’s progress followed: missions, evangelism, new churches, and dioceses.

The general secretary’s address confronted the Anglican Communion’s need for reordering, citing the 2023 Kigali meeting’s urgent call. This led to talks among primates and the Macquarie Statement—also called the Martyr’s Day Statement of October 16, 2025—that calls the church to gather and hear God.

Donison first refuted the idea that the statement creates a new or rival Communion. He stressed it aims only to reorder the existing Anglican fellowship around biblical truth.

Second, he rejected schism charges against GAFCON. The real failure rests with the instruments of unity—the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lambeth Conference, Anglican Consultative Council, and Primates’ Meetings. These modern structures were meant to uphold Lambeth Resolution 1.10, passed overwhelmingly in 1998 (526-70), which defines marriage as one man and one woman for life and calls homosexual practice incompatible with Scripture. They did not enforce it, so GAFCON filled the gap.

Third, Donison clarified that constitutional changes, like removing Canterbury references, are encouraged but not mandatory. Provinces or dioceses unable to amend immediately remain welcome. The goal is a confessional, conciliar fellowship tested by the Jerusalem Declaration.

Fourth, the statement did not react to the Church of England’s first female Archbishop of Canterbury. The meeting was planned well before her appointment, though the timing felt providential to Donison. Problems lie in her doctrine and failure to keep ordination vows, not her gender.

The Jerusalem Declaration, from GAFCON’s 2008 Jerusalem gathering, sets this standard. Its 14 points reaffirm Anglican basics—the Thirty-Nine Articles, 1662 Book of Common Prayer, ordinal—back Lambeth 1.10, and reject homosexual practice as unscriptural. Born from 2003’s gay bishop ordinations and same-sex blessings, it claims to define true Anglican faith against Communion shifts.

Scripture’s authority emerged as the real issue, from sexuality to transgenderism and identity politics: “What does God’s Word say?”

The speech returned to the meekness Beatitude, calling for humility and grace as the source of gospel loyalty.

It closed by citing 1555 Reformation martyrs Latimer and Ridley, burned for the gospel, who lit a candle in England that still burns worldwide in the Anglican family—God’s Word cannot be chained.

George Conger

This bold assertion framed the theological foundation for the 3–6 March 2026 meeting, where orthodox Anglican leaders gathered to sharpen the definition of Anglican identity and genuine communion in the aftermath of the collapse of the Anglican Communion’s instruments of unity since the 1998 Lambeth declaration I.10 and the cascading doctrinal ruptures it exposed.

G26 at St Matthias House brought together over 400 bishops, clergy, and lay leaders from for closed-door deliberation on Anglicanism’s future. Pre-conference calls named it a kairos moment to advance GAFCON’s 2008 vision of reordering the Communion around Scripture’s authority and historic formularies.

At the core of Bishop Sun Oo’s address lay the unnegotiable truth: no meaningful communion endures without doctrinal and moral boundaries. Anglican identity demands a shared faith profession embodied in the Book of Common Prayer, Thirty-Nine Articles, Ordinal, and the Jerusalem Declaration—these are not dusty relics but active boundaries delimiting authentic fellowship. Lambeth 1998 Resolution I.10 transcends a mere pronouncement on human sexuality; it represents the Instruments of Communion’s final clear doctrinal utterance on a defining issue. The subsequent repudiations by certain provinces constitute not just ethical defiance but a profound ecclesiological fracture, rending the Communion’s fabric so irreparably that its former unity cannot be pretended.

Most decisively, Sun Oo dismantled the notion of parallel or rival structures. “There are no two communions, no alternate communion, no breakaway communion,” he stated flatly. Communion is one—singular and indivisible—because it inheres not in institutional machinery or geographic alignments but in the eternal reality of Christ’s body, where Scripture alone governs and repentance marks true fellowship. To speak of “two communions” concedes ground to revisionists, implying equal legitimacy for structures that defy God’s Word; it fractures what God has made whole and plays into narratives of schism that obscure the real divide between obedience and rebellion. Instead, the orthodox path reclaims the one Communion by centering Scripture, creeds, public confession, evangelization, catechesis, and the summons to repentance. Where these rule, communion persists unbroken; where they are abandoned, no structure—however titled—can claim it.

Sun Oo outlined five indispensable marks of this one communion: biblical governance under Scripture’s authority; credal fidelity to the Church’s historic faith; confessional boldness in public declaration; missional urgency for evangelism and catechesis; and penitential integrity that names sin plainly while exalting Jesus Christ as sole Savior. Absent these, any gathering masquerades as communion but amounts to a hollow brand, divorced from the Church’s life.

Boundaries must be drawn firmly, yet Sun Oo urged pastoral prudence and charity for those lingering in contested ecclesial settings due to canonical constraints or political pressures. He drew a sharp line between outright faith-deniers and the faithful compelled to navigate compromised institutions, pledging solidarity to the latter. For the Bishop of Pyay, these boundaries exist not for self-preservation but to propel mission forward. His Abuja intervention, drawn from Myanmar’s beleaguered diocese, propelled the Road to Reordering series, rallying G26 to restore orthodoxy, repentance, and bold proclamation of Christ as the unmistakable hallmarks of Anglican common life.

By George Conger

Anglican Ink

Titled “Canonical Alignment and Differentiation,” his address called on Anglican provinces to amend constitutions severing ties to the See of Canterbury, aligning instead with Reformation formularies and the Jerusalem Declaration.

Davies traced Anglican canon law back to the early church’s Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, which guarded gospel unity against threats like debates over Gentile inclusion. Post-apostolic ecumenical councils addressed biblical fidelity in much the same way, a pattern echoed during the 16th-century Reformation when Thomas Cranmer reformed the corrupt Church of Rome through the 39 Articles, the Book of Common Prayer, and planned canons finally completed in 1604 after his martyrdom. Colonial churches adopted these standards as the British Empire expanded, and the 1867 Lambeth Conference under Archbishop Charles Longley affirmed provinces bound together by shared commitment to Scripture, liturgy, and formularies.

As colonies gained independence, churches such as the U.S. Episcopal Church in 1789, New Zealand in 1857, and Australia in 1872 established their own autonomous general synods, loosening formal links with England while often retaining sentimental references to communion with Canterbury. This made sense when the See upheld orthodoxy, Davies argued, but constitutions must now reflect a changed reality: the Church of England’s drift since 1998, including its 2023 authorization of prayers blessing same-sex couples, directly defies Lambeth Resolution I.10’s clear statement that homosexual practice is incompatible with Scripture. Provincial doctrinal foundations—the Bible as supreme authority, the 39 Articles, and the 1662 Prayer Book—demand that canons actively guard the gospel amid growing revisionism.

Davies sharply critiqued the Canterbury-led Instruments of Communion for their failure after the 2003 consecration of Gene Robinson, a development that prompted GAFCON’s launch in 2008 and the ongoing reordering of Anglicanism now celebrated at G26 through the “Martyrs’ Day” statement, likely tied to the Abuja Affirmation. Lambeth 2022’s Calls effectively made I.10 optional, prioritizing vague “walking together” over doctrinal fidelity and redefining Anglican identity by fellowship with Instruments rather than Scripture—what Davies called a “vacuous” arrangement that accommodates the blessing of sin. He dismissed schism accusations by invoking 16th-century reformers like John Jewel, insisting that Global Anglicans are reforming the Communion from within, just as Cranmer rejected Rome without leaving the one holy catholic and apostolic church.

Turning to practical steps, Davies urged provinces to follow Nigeria’s 2005 precedent in redefining communion not by Canterbury but by adherence to historic faith, a path taken by ACNA, the Anglican Church in Brazil, and extra-provincial dioceses recognized by GAFCON Primates. The Martyrs’ Day statement invites all orthodox provinces to participate via assent to the 2008 Jerusalem Declaration—whether by synod resolution, constitutional amendment, or parish action—despite legal or structural hurdles in mixed provinces. Patience is essential, he said, but so is clarity for mission: “If the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?”

In defining true Anglican identity, Davies paraphrased Paul to assert that not all who claim the name are Anglican, just as not all Israel was Israel. The Global Anglican Communion inherits Cranmer’s legacy of scriptural supremacy, unbound by a revisionist Canterbury—”We are not leaving the Anglican Communion; we are reforming it”—and shares Holy Eucharist with all who affirm the Jerusalem Declaration as the standard of orthodoxy worldwide.

March 7, 2026

George Conger

Speaking to over 400 bishops, clergy and lay leaders in the seventh of twelve talks under the theme “The Road to Reordering”, the bishop of Gahini in the Anglican Church of Rwanda framed his message around three practical pillars: meetings, money, and sustainable community, drawing directly from GAFCON’s Martyrs’ Day Statement of 16 October 2025..

In his opening prayer, Bishop Gahima thanked God for the gathering’s grace and unity. He then outlined the need for focused, regular meetings to sustain the church body, citing Acts 2:44-46 as a model of early believers sharing possessions so “no one lacked anything.” “Sustainable fellowship is a life need,” he said, especially for those pursuing eternal life.

Central to his address was the Martyrs’ Day Statement, which commits GAFCON not to participate in meetings called by the Archbishop of Canterbury, including the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), nor to give or receive monetary contributions from it or its networks. Bishop Gahima emphasized that the church grows through “faithfulness to the gospel, commitment to one another, and willingness to sacrifice,” as exemplified by martyrs. He critiqued Canterbury’s leadership for straying from Scripture, echoing the Primate of Nigeria’s call to “be different for God” as stewards, not revisionists.

Bishop Gahima stressed that meetings are essential for any fellowship’s survival, serving not as mere administration but as spaces for teaching, prayer, encouragement, accountability, and decision-making. They must be Christ-centered, purpose-driven, participatory, and agenda-focused to foster belonging. He praised GAFCON’s ongoing gatherings for strengthening brotherhood and revitalization.

However, he warned that not all meetings merit attendance. “Meetings are not neutral,” he stated, as they confer legitimacy, signal recognition, and imply consent. Participating in illegitimate gatherings compromises faith, especially when structures no longer uphold doctrine or mission. “Participation is a theological statement, not merely a logistical one,” he added, urging GAFCON to meet only with those committed to the same mission.

Turning to money, Bishop Gahima described it as a “test of trust” and a means of fellowship, again referencing Acts 2. Yet it also carries recognition, solidarity, influence, and direction. In line with the Martyrs’ Day Statement, he called for breaking financial ties with Canterbury, the Anglican Consultative Council or their networks, instead directing resources to support struggling GAFCON churches. “Financial inflows are called out to support struggling churches if we are to survive as the dominion,” he said.

Transparency, local giving, and building financial capacity were non-negotiable to avoid temptation and sustain mission independently. “If we are faithful, we need to be transparent,” he affirmed.

Bishop Gahima concluded that true sustainability is spiritual before financial, built on abiding in Christ (John 15). Resources, internal leadership development, disciple-making, and regular planning are vital, but commitment—not convenience—defines fellowship. “Meetings must produce disciples who produce disciples,” he said, invoking Jesus’ promise to be with believers to the end of the age. “Let our meetings build disciples, our money fuel mission, and our fellowship remain faithful, even when it costs.”

The address was followed by thanks from the chair and an introduction of Bishop Glenn Davies, former Archbishop of Sydney, who continued discussions on canonical alignment.

March 7, 2026

By George Conger

Source: Anglican Ink

The Global Anglican Conference has announced a historic restructuring of its leadership framework with the creation of the Global Anglican Council, a new governing body designed to provide broader representation and shared leadership across the Global Anglican Communion.

In a significant step that underscores a commitment to collaborative leadership, the GAFCON Primates have dissolved the GAFCON Primates Council, which has faithfully led and served the movement since its establishment in 2008.

The newly constituted Global Anglican Council will now serve as the principal leadership body of the Communion. Unlike the previous structure, the Council comprises primates, advisors, and guarantors, including bishops, clergy, and lay members, all of whom have full voting rights.

This expanded leadership structure reflects the willingness of the primates to share authority and stewardship with a wider body of Global Anglican leaders across the world. The Chairman of the Council will be a Primate; however, the position will not function as primus inter pares (first among equals), signaling a transition toward a more conciliar and collaborative model of governance for the Global Anglican Communion.

The Council explained that this development arises from the conviction that the existing instruments of communion no longer adequately serve the needs of the majority of Anglicans worldwide. Consequently, the Global Anglican Communion will now be guided by this broader conciliar structure. In moving forward, the Council has also discerned that certain titles associated with previous structures will be set aside.

At its inaugural meeting, the Global Anglican Council unanimously elected the following leaders:

• The Most Rev. Laurent Mbanda – Chairman
• The Most Rev. Miguel Uchoa – Vice Chairman
• The Rt. Rev. Paul Donison – General Secretary

Their terms of office will run until the conclusion of GAFCON V, scheduled to be held in Athens in 2028.

The Council also resolved that Primates who retire from their Provincial office between GAFCON Assemblies may continue to serve on the Council until the conclusion of the next Assembly, ensuring continuity in leadership and governance.

Speaking in his first interview following the announcement on ACNN (Advent Cable Network Nigeria), the newly elected Chairman, The Most Rev. Laurent Mbanda, clarified that the establishment of the Global Anglican Council is not intended to rival the Archbishop of Canterbury.

“The Archbishop of Canterbury is in Canterbury, while I serve as Chairman of the Global Anglican Communion,” he said.

Archbishop Mbanda emphasized that the development marks a significant turning point for the worldwide Anglican family. According to him, “the future has arrived,” and the time has come to move forward with renewed commitment to evangelism and to placing the Bible at the center of the Church’s life and mission.

He further stressed that the initiative is not driven by hostility or rivalry.

“We are not fighting anybody,” he said, explaining that the focus of the movement is faithfulness to the teaching of Scripture. This is not about gender, and it is not about female leadership,” he said. “It is about the teaching of the Word of God. The key question is: What does the Scripture teach?”

He noted that many of the current instruments of communion have not effectively served the wider Anglican family and called on faithful Anglicans to move forward in unity around the authority of Scripture.

Archbishop Mbanda also extended an open invitation to Anglicans across the world who remain committed to biblical orthodoxy to join in the effort to renew and strengthen the Anglican witness.

The development marks a significant milestone in the life of the Global Anglican Communion and signals a renewed commitment to shared leadership, biblical faithfulness, and mission across the worldwide Anglican family.

Ven. Raphael Adedoyin Aderinwale