New York ? The most influential Anglican leader in Africa — home to nearly half the world’s Anglicans — said Thursday that the U.S. Episcopal Church has created a “new religion” by confirming a gay bishop in New Hampshire, breaking the bonds between the denominations with roots in the Church of England.

Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, in an Associated Press interview, also said he viewed the head of the Episcopal Church as an advocate for gays and lesbians and no longer trusted him.

His comments come less than two weeks before an international panel is scheduled to release a critical report on whether the global Anglican Communion can bridge its divide over homosexuality. The Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch of Anglicanism; Akinola leads the Anglican Church of Nigeria.

“The Communion is shattered. It is broken,” Akinola said. “The commonality that bound us together is no longer true.”

Akinola represents one of the fastest-growing Anglican provinces, with more than 17 million people.

Akinola insisted he did not hate gays, despite his fiery comments in the past protesting the growing acceptance of homosexuality. He once called the trend a “satanic attack” on the church.