Dame Sarah Mullally has been appointed as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the first woman to hold the position in the nearly 500-year history of the Church of England. With this role, she assumes leadership over 8 million Anglicans worldwide.
The announcement was made on Friday from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s office, following the traditional appointment process in which a single candidate is recommended to the Prime Minister before receiving the formal approval of King Charles III.
Mullally succeeds Justin Welby, who resigned last year amid controversy surrounding his handling of a child protection scandal.
Breaking Barriers in Church Leadership
Ordained as a priest in 2006, Mullally became the first female Bishop of London in 2018—the third most senior clerical position in the Church of England. She was previously England’s youngest Chief Nursing Officer in 1999, later serving as Canon Treasurer of Salisbury Cathedral (2012) and Bishop of Crediton (2015).
Her rise comes three decades after the Church of England first allowed women to serve as priests in 1994, and a decade after the first female bishop was appointed in 2014.
Reactions to the Appointment
Prime Minister Starmer hailed her appointment, while King Charles III described it as a “moment of great significance for the Anglican Communion in the UK and globally.”
However, conservative Anglican groups have criticized the decision. The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans argued that most Anglicans worldwide still believe the role of Archbishop should be reserved for men, citing Biblical teachings.
A Pledge for Accountability
In her first address at Canterbury Cathedral, Archbishop Mullally acknowledged past failures in child safeguarding and pledged to prioritize accountability and a culture of openness within the Church.
Her appointment marks not only a historic milestone for gender equality in the Church of England but also a turning point in its ongoing struggle to reconcile tradition with modern reform.
