Sarah Mullally was named as the new Archbishop of Canterbury on Friday, becoming the first woman to serve in the role.
The College of Canons elected Mullally, and her appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury was approved by King Charles III., according to a news release. She will be installed officially in a service at Canterbury Cathedral in March 2026.
“As I respond to the call of Christ to this new ministry, I do so in the same spirit of service to God and to others that has motivated me since I first came to faith as a teenager,” Mullally said in a statement. “At every stage of that journey, through my nursing career and Christian ministry, I have learned to listen deeply – to people and to God’s gentle prompting – to seek to bring people together to find hope and healing.”
“I want, very simply, to encourage the Church to continue to grow in confidence in the Gospel, to speak of the love that we find in Jesus Christ and for it to shape our actions,” Mullally continued. “And I look forward to sharing this journey of faith with the millions of people serving God and their communities in parishes all over the country and across the global Anglican Communion.”
“I know this is a huge responsibility but I approach it with a sense of peace and trust in God to carry me as He always has,” she added.
Mullally is a self-described feminist, BBC News reported. She was installed as the 133rd Bishop of London at St Paul’s Cathedral in May 2018, becoming the first woman to hold the role, according to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s website.
Mullally has also spoken openly about her struggles with dyslexia.
“It has been a great privilege to have chaired the Crown Nominations Commission as it sought to discern who God is calling to lead the Church of England and Anglican Communion as Archbishop of Canterbury,” Lord Evans, Chair of the Crown Nominations Commission for Canterbury, said in a statement. “That discernment began with the public consultation, which heard the voices of thousands of people as they expressed their hopes for this nomination, and continued all the way through to the Commission’s final meeting.”
“I would like to thank all those who took part in this process, particularly those who took time to share their views in the consultation and the members of the Commission who worked so diligently over several months, ably assisted by the Appointments Secretaries and by the Appointments and Vocations team at Lambeth Palace,” Evans added.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement Friday that the Archbishop of Canterbury “will play a key role in our national life,” adding that he wishes Mullally “every success and look forward to working together.”
In February, Mullally was brought to tears while discussing “micro-aggressions” and “institutional barriers” that women in the Church of England continue to face. Additionally, Mullally has previously said she believes more women should be in top ecclesiastical roles.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announced his resignation in November 2024 over a church abuse scandal.
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