…her elevation comes at a turbulent time for the Church of England.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – The iNews Times | In a landmark moment for Christianity and British history, Dame Sarah Mullally has been appointed as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the first woman ever to lead the Church of England and the global Anglican Communion.
Her nomination was formally approved on Friday by King Charles III following the recommendation of a selection commission, which had been tasked with finding a successor to Archbishop Justin Welby, who resigned earlier this year amid backlash over the Church’s handling of a historic abuse scandal.
At 63, Mullally brings to the role a distinguished career in both healthcare and ministry. A former Chief Nursing Officer for England, she was ordained in 2002 and became the Church’s first female Bishop of London in 2018.
“It is a huge responsibility,” she said in a statement following her appointment. “But I feel a deep sense of peace and trust in God to carry me.”
Her elevation comes at a turbulent time for the Church of England, which has faced declining attendance, internal theological divisions, and widespread public outrage over its failure to address abuse allegations spanning decades.
The most recent scandal involved John Smyth, a barrister and evangelical leader accused of abusing over 130 boys and young men during church-linked camps in the 1970s and 1980s. Smyth died in 2018 in South Africa while under investigation. He was never charged. A damning report found that former Archbishop Welby had knowledge of the abuse in 2013 but failed to alert authorities, ultimately leading to his resignation.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Mullally’s appointment, calling it a moment of “national significance.”
“The Church of England is of profound importance to this country. Its churches, cathedrals, schools, and charities are part of the fabric of our communities. The new archbishop will play a key role in our national life,” Starmer said.
Founded officially in the 1530s following King Henry VIII’s break from Rome, the Church of England is the mother church of the 85-million-strong Anglican Communion, with presence in more than 165 countries.
Women were only allowed to become bishops in the Church of England as recently as 2014, following decades of theological wrangling. Mullally’s rise represents the culmination of those long struggles. Today, over 40 of the Church’s 108 bishops are women, and similar progress has been made in the priesthood since the early 1990s.
Despite having nearly 20 million baptised members, the Church of England has seen a steep decline in regular attendance, which stood at just under one million in 2022. Church leaders hope Mullally’s leadership will usher in a new era of healing, accountability, and relevance in a fast-changing society.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is considered the spiritual leader of global Anglicanism. Mullally’s appointment makes her not only the first woman but also one of the most powerful religious figures in the world today.
