The Anglican Church of Canada is reaffirming its commitment to the Church of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury, even as a coalition of Anglicans from around the world declares a new reordering of the Global Anglican Communion (GAC). The coalition, known as GAFCON, announced the formation of a new “Global Anglican Communion” that no longer recognizes the Archbishop of Canterbury. Did GAFCON leave the Global Anglican Communion? GAFCON, or the Global Anglican Future Conference, released a statement this week declaring it has “reordered the Anglican Communion,” citing a failure by the Archbishop of Canterbury and other key Anglican institutions to uphold biblical authority and doctrinal discipline. The statement, signed by Archbishop Laurent Mbanda of Rwanda, says GAFCON was formed in 2008 in response to what it calls the abandonment of Scripture by senior Anglican leaders. The group says that in the absence of repentance over the years, it is now taking leadership in reshaping global Anglican identity. “The Anglican Communion will be reordered, with only one foundation of communion, namely the Holy Bible,” the statement reads. GAFCON rejects the traditional Instruments of Communion — the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates’ Meeting — claiming they have failed to safeguard the church’s historic teachings. The group says it “cannot continue to have communion with those who advocate the revisionist agenda,” particularly citing concerns over the rejection of Resolution I.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference, which upheld a traditional view of marriage. Rather than leaving the GAC, GAFCON says it now considers itself the legitimate Anglican Communion and is urging member provinces to remove references to the Church of England and Canterbury from their constitutions. A new governing council of primates is being formed, and GAFCON will hold its next global bishops’ conference in Nigeria in March 2026. Anglican Church of Canada's pastoral statement In direct response to the announcement, the Anglican Church of Canada released a pastoral statement reaffirming its continued place within the traditional Anglican Communion. “We declare this Church to be, and desire that it shall continue, in full communion with the Church of England throughout the world,” the statement reads, citing the Canadian church’s 1893 Solemn Declaration. Signed by Primate Shane Parker and the Metropolitans of Canada’s Anglican provinces, the response reaffirms the four Instruments of Communion, the See of Canterbury, and the Anglican appeal to Scripture, Reason and Tradition. Can communion exist in conflict? The Canadian bishops acknowledge the presence of conflict within the global Communion but reject the notion that disagreement must lead to division. “Can communion with the Risen Christ contain conflict, so that conflict and disagreement lose their power to divide? We believe the answer to this question is a resounding ‘YES’,” they write. They also expressed joy at the appointment of Bishop Sarah Mullally as the next Archbishop of Canterbury and look forward to welcoming her to Canada after her installation in 2026.