The Church of England has appointed Sarah Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman to assume the post and spiritual head of the worldwide Anglican Communion in its 1,400-year history.
Mullally, 63, currently Bishop of London, will be installed in March 2026 as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury. She takes over from Justin Welby, who resigned in November 2024 after sustained criticism of his handling of historic child abuse cases.
Accepting her new role, Mullally described her appointment as a continuation of a life of service.
“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. “At every stage of that journey, I have learned to listen deeply - to people and to God’s gentle prompting - to bring people together to find hope and healing.”
Before her ordination, Mullally worked as a nurse, eventually becoming England’s Chief Nursing Officer. Since her consecration as Bishop, she has built a reputation as a reformer and consensus-builder. She played a central role in guiding the church through the Covid-19 pandemic and has championed the blessing of same-sex couples, a stance that underscored her willingness to engage divisive issues with compassion.
Her historic elevation was made possible by reforms introduced a decade ago under Welby, which opened the episcopacy to women.
Mullally steps into the role at a time when the Church of England faces deep challenges: declining attendance, questions of relevance in a secular society, financial strain, and lingering trust deficits following abuse scandals. Analysts say her leadership will be tested by the need to restore credibility and unify a global Anglican community of some 85 million people.
The selection was made by the Crown Nominations Commission, chaired by former MI5 chief Jonathan Evans. He had earlier emphasised the need for a leader who could “give genuine spiritual direction” and “speak with a Christian voice into the nation’s affairs.”
Her appointment received the formal assent of Prime Minister Keir Starmer and was confirmed by King Charles III, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, continuing a tradition dating back to King Henry VIII’s break with Rome.
Mullally will be enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral in March 2026, succeeding a line of archbishops that stretches back to Saint Augustine of Canterbury, who arrived from Rome in 597.
Her installation will not only mark the beginning of her own ministry but also a historic redefinition of leadership in the Church of England, one that places a woman at the heart of Anglicanism for the first time.
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