The Church of England welcomes its first female archbishop as 63-year-old Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, is appointed Archbishop of Canterbury — the first woman to ever hold the position in its approximately 1400-year history. Some conservative groups have voiced opposition to her appointment.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the Church of England’s chief bishop as well as the spiritual leader for more than 85 million Anglican Christians worldwide. Mullally will take office at Canterbury Cathedral in March 2026.
On the 3rd, Mullally expressed her acceptance of the appointment, stating she hopes to unite people and jointly seek “paths of hope and healing.”
Mullally was previously a nurse and became a priest in 2001. In 2015, she became one of the first female bishops in the Church of England. Since 2018, she has served as the Bishop of London, the first woman to hold that post.
Mullally, who is married, has two adult children.
She will succeed former Archbishop Welby, who announced his resignation last year, becoming the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury. Welby resigned in November last year under pressure after an independent investigation accused the Church of covering up the longstanding sexual abuse of multiple children by a lawyer connected to the Church.