Woman appointed Archbishop of Canterbury a historic first for the Church of England

CANTERBURY, England - The Church of England announced on Oct 3 that Bishop Sarah Mullally will become the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, making her the first woman to lead a church whose roots date back more than 1,400 years.

Bishop Mullally, 63, also becomes the ceremonial head of some 85 million Anglicans worldwide, who are divided between conservative Christians, especially in Africa, where homosexuality is outlawed in some countries, and their generally more liberal counterparts in the West.

Gafcon, a grouping of conservative Anglican churches across Africa and Asia, immediately criticised Bishop Mullally’s appointment, saying it showed that the English arm of the Church has “relinquished its authority to lead”.

Bishop Mullally, who has served as Bishop of London since 2018, has previously championed several liberal causes within the church, including allowing blessings for same-sex couples in civil partnerships and marriages.

Reforms introduced 11 years ago made it possible for a woman to hold the office, and by being named as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Bishop Mullally becomes the female leader of one of last areas of British public life to have been led by men.

Accepting her appointment, Bishop Mullally said she wants to bring people together to find “hope and healing”.

“I want, very simply, to encourage the Church to continue to grow in confidence,” she said in her first statement as archbishop.

“I look forward to sharing this journey of faith with the millions of people serving God and their communities in parishes all over the country and across the global Anglican communion,” she said.

She said her elevation was a “huge responsibility” but she would approach it with a sense of peace and trust in God.

“As I respond to the call of Christ to this new ministry, I do so in the same spirit of service to God and to others that has motivated me since I first came to faith as a teenager,” she said.

Former cancer nurse

Bishop Mullally is a former nurse who worked as England’s chief nursing officer in the early 2000s. She has advocated for creating an open and transparent culture in churches which allows for difference and disagreement.

“There are great commonalities between nursing and being a priest. It’s all about people, and sitting with people during the most difficult times in their lives,” she once told a magazine.

“At every stage of that journey, through my nursing career and Christian ministry, I have learned to listen deeply – to people and to God’s gentle prompting – to seek to bring people together to find hope and healing,” she said.

She was ordained as a priest in 2002 and became one of the first women to be consecrated as a bishop in the Church of England in 2015.

Bishop Mullally sits in Britain’s unelected Upper House of Parliament, the House of Lords, and has spoken on issues including the cost-of-living crisis, healthcare and social justice.

She will be installed in a service at Canterbury Cathedral in March 2026, the government said.

PM wishes her ‘every success’

Reflecting the Church of England’s status as England’s established church, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office announced Bishop Mullally’s appointment with the formal consent of King Charles.

“The Archbishop of Canterbury will play a key role in our national life. I wish her every success and look forward to working together,” Mr Starmer said in a statement.

As Monarch, King Charles is the supreme governor of the Church of England, a role established in the 16th century when King Henry VIII broke from the Catholic Church.

The Church of England has been without a leader since November 2024 when Mr Justin Welby resigned over a child abuse cover-up scandal.

Bishop Mullally is married and has two children. REUTERS