WordPress: How do I display WP_Error() errors on another page?

How do I display WP_Error() errors on another page?

In functions.php, I have a form processor with the following code:

global $current_user, $errors; get_currentuserinfo();

$errors = new WP_Error();

if( isset( $_POST['user_email']) ) {
    if( !is_email( $_POST['user_email'] ) ) {
        $errors->add('invalid_email', __('<strong>ERROR</strong>: The email address isn’t correct.'));
    } elseif( email_exists( $_POST['user_email'] ) ) {
        $errors->add('email_exists', __('<strong>ERROR</strong>: This email is already registered, please choose another one.'));
    } elseif( $_POST['user_email'] <> $current_user->{user_email} ) {
        wp_update_user( array( 'ID' => $uid, 'user_email' => esc_attr( $_POST['user_email'] ) ) );
    }       
}
if($errors->get_error_code()) { return $errors; }

In account.php, which displays the form, I have the following code:

<?php
    $return = update_account();
    if(is_wp_error($return)) { echo $return->get_error_message(); }
?>

Neither the invalid_email nor the email_exist errors are reported during testing. However, errors are prevented. I just don’t understand why they’re not being displayed. What am I doing wrong?