Sarah Mullally was on Friday appointed the new Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the first woman to lead the Church of England in its nearly 1,500-year history.
Her nomination, approved by King Charles III, comes after former Archbishop Justin Welby resigned earlier this year amid an abuse scandal that shook the church. Mullally, 63, who was ordained in 2002 and became the first female Bishop of London in 2018, is now the Church’s 106th Archbishop of Canterbury.
In her statement, the former nurse said she felt a “sense of peace and trust in God” as she takes on the “huge responsibility” of guiding the Church of England, the mother church of the global Anglican Communion with some 85 million followers worldwide.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed the historic appointment, saying the Church remains “of profound importance” to the UK and that the new archbishop would play “a key role in our national life.”
Welby’s departure followed the findings of an independent inquiry that revealed a cover-up of widespread abuse by evangelical leader John Smyth in the 1970s and 1980s, a scandal that highlighted deep failings in church accountability.
Mullally’s appointment comes a decade after the Church of England first allowed women bishops in 2014, following years of internal disputes. Today, more than 40 of England’s 108 bishops are women, alongside a growing number of female priests.
What you should know
Sarah Mullally has made history as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, succeeding Justin Welby after his resignation over an abuse scandal.
A former nurse and the first female Bishop of London, Mullally now leads the Church of England and the global Anglican Communion, marking a significant shift in the church’s centuries-long tradition.
