LONDON — Sarah Mullally was named the new archbishop of Canterbury on Friday, becoming the first woman to serve as the spiritual leader of the Church of England, and of the global Anglican community, in the church’s nearly 500-year history. The position has been vacant since November when Justin Welby announced his resignation after an investigation found he failed to sufficiently report, investigate and contain a man who for decades ran evangelical summer camps and subjected boys to sexual, physical and psychological abuse. A report summarizing an investigation by the church described the man, John Smyth, as “arguably, the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church of England.”
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The Church of England began allowing women to become bishops in 2014.
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Mullally, 63, has broken barriers throughout her career. In 2018, she became the first female bishop of London, the church’s third most senior clerical position. Before her ordination in 2001, she worked in nursing and, at age 37, became the youngest person to be appointed England’s chief nursing officer.
The archbishop of Canterbury is formally nominated by the British monarch, acting on advice from the prime minister, who in turn relies on advice from a Church of England commission. Mullally will be installed as the 106th archbishop at a service at Canterbury Cathedral in March 2026.
Britain is considered a more secular country than the United States, both in terms of people identifying as having no religion and in rates of regular church attendance.
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Yet the Church of England still retains a large symbolic presence in national identity and values. The archbishop of Canterbury, for instance, plays a central role in major state occasions such as coronations, royal weddings and funerals.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Mullally’s appointment. “The Archbishop of Canterbury will play a key role in our national life,” Starmer said in a statement. “I wish her every success and look forward to working together.”
“The Church of England is of profound importance to this country,” he said. “Its churches, cathedrals, schools, and charities are part of the fabric of our communities.”
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In her first address since being named archbishop — carried by the state broadcaster on Friday — Mullally spoke about major domestic and global issues. She condemned Thursday’s Yom Kippur attack on a synagogue in Manchester, which left two people dead, and said the church had a duty to stand with the Jewish community against antisemitism in “all its forms.”
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She also highlighted extreme poverty; the “ever worsening climate crisis”; solidarity with “our Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters”; and the “horrors of war” for people in the Middle East, Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Turning to the church’s own failings, Mullally stressed the importance of preventing abuse and responding more effectively when concerns are raised.
She also noted the historic nature of her appointment.
“Some will be asking what it means for a woman to lead the Church of England and to take on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s global role in the Anglican Communion,” she said.
[SRC] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/10/03/archbishop-canterbury-first-woman-england/
