Anglicans appoint first female Archbishop of Canterbury

King Charles III approved Sarah Mullally’s nomination to serve as Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England, according to a Thursday announcement. Mullally is scheduled to be ceremonially installed in March 2026 as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury and the first female appointed to the role.

The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend David Hoyle, celebrated Mullally’s appointment in a Friday morning statement and underscored the importance of her role. The church is fortunate to have an archbishop who has long proven her faith, and has the courage and resilience to bear such a great burden, Hoyle said. Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, also released a Friday statement praising the church’s decision. Mullally’s courage, wisdom, integrity, and experience will make her the stable leader the church needs, he said.

What do we know about Mullally? The 63-year-old was ordained in 2001 and has served as the Bishop of London since 2018. Before her ordination, Mullally worked as a cancer nurse and made history as the government’s youngest appointed Chief Nursing Officer for England. Mullally will succeed Justin Welby, who served as archbishop since 2013 and stepped down earlier this year over his failure to address sex abuse claims within the church.

What has she said about the appointment? Mullally planned to assume the role of archbishop with the same spirit of service that motivated her since she came to faith as a teenager, she said Thursday. She formally addressed the public on Friday, and touched on a number of difficult topics while at the same time underscoring the church’s unity. The gospel has never been more vital to such a hurting world, and Anglicanism offers a shared history and strong hope, she said.

Mullally acknowledged the ongoing national debate over elective suicide for the sick, the influx of immigrants and refugees, and religious violence and hate. The church has a responsibility to stand against anti-Semitism, she insisted. Racism and hatred will not be allowed to tear us apart, she added.

Mullally also acknowledged what she characterized as power dynamics and abuse within the church, and the church's failure to address the issues until recently. The recent safeguard reviews and reports brought power and abuse into clear focus, and these failures sowed deep harm and mistrust within the church, she said. Mullally vowed to ensure abuse survivors continue to be heard and cared for, and committed to fostering a safe environment.

Mullally addressed the fact that some questioned what it means for a woman could hold such leadership in the church. She said she aimed to be a shepherd that enabled all ministries to flourish regardless of tradition. She thanked all the men and women, both lay and ordained, who paved the way for her to assume her new role. Mullally said she was humbled and offered herself and her gifts to the service of God and his church.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Russell’s recent report on the Anglican Church in Wales appointing a lesbian archbishop.