Pope Leo XIV is set to meet with Sarah Mullally, the first female archbishop of Canterbury, as part of Mullally’s planned visit to Rome from April 25–28.
The announcement of the visit came from Lambeth Palace just two days after Mullally’s installation, which made her the first woman to hold the highest-ranking role in the Church of England.
It is also notable that the ascension of Mullally to that post continues to have significant repercussions within Anglicanism. Earlier this month, the Global Anglican Future Conference — which represents approximately 80% of Anglicans worldwide — announced that its member churches should “remove any reference to being in communion with the See of Canterbury.”
On the occasion of her March 25 installation as the highest spiritual authority in Anglicanism, Pope Leo sent a message to Mullally in which he underscored the responsibilities of the office, particularly during “a challenging moment in the history of the Anglican family.”
The pope also recalled the progress made in ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Anglicans and emphasized the need to continue advancing toward Christian unity.
For her part, Mullally expressed her gratitude to Pope Leo XIV for his closeness and prayers, and acknowledged the value of ecumenical dialogue between churches as well as unity among Christians.
She also asked the pope for prayers for the Church of England and for the Anglican Communion as a whole, “so that we may be guided by the Holy Spirit in faithfulness, unity, and charity.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
