The Church of England has appointed Dame Sarah Mullally as its next Archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman ever to hold that office in its 1,428-year history.
She will officially assume the role in January 2026, with a formal enthronement service to follow. Mullally, 63, has been Bishop of London since 2018. Before entering ordained ministry she served as Chief Nursing Officer for England. She was ordained priest in 2002, and she became among the early female bishops under reforms enacted in 2015. She has described herself as a feminist, and she played a leading role in the ‘Living in Love and Faith’ process, which explored options for blessing same-sex relationships within the C of E.
The appointment has been welcomed by many in the liberal wing of the Church as a landmark step forward. However, conservative Anglicans, particularly the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), have voiced serious opposition.
The Most Revd Laurent Mbanda, chair of the GAFCON Primates Council, said with sorrow that ‘the Church of England has chosen a leader who will further divide an already split Communion.’
He said that ‘the majority of the Anglican Communion still believes that the Bible requires a male-only episcopacy’, and that the appointment therefore renders the Archbishop of Canterbury unable ‘to serve as a focus of unity within the Communion’.
