Sarah Mullally named first female Archbishop of Canterbury

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Dame Sarah Mullally has been named the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the first woman to hold the Church of England’s most senior clerical position.

King Charles approved the appointment of Mullally, Bishop of London since 2018, to lead the world’s 85mn-strong Anglican community, the Cabinet Office said on Friday. 

The historic announcement comes after months of deliberation by the Crown Nominations Commission following the resignation of Justin Welby in November 2024, with women eligible for the senior position for the first time.

Welby, who was Archbishop of Canterbury for almost 12 years, quit after intense pressure over his role in the Church of England’s failure to halt years of sexual and physical attacks carried out by a child abuser associated with the institution.

Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, temporarily assumed most of Welby’s responsibilities but soon faced calls to stand down himself over his handling of a separate sexual abuse case.

In February Cottrell conceded that the Church of England was facing “difficult and challenging times” in the wake of multiple safeguarding failings but said he was “determined . . . to make the changes necessary that will prevent these failings ever happening again”.

No candidates were officially named as part of the selection process. But Mullally, who called for “fundamental safeguarding reform” after Welby resigned, had been seen as a leading contender in part because her role as Bishop of London made her the third most senior bishop behind Welby and Cottrell.

Being appointed Archbishop of Canterbury was “a huge responsibility but I approach it with a sense of peace and trust in God to carry me as He always has”, Mullally said in a statement on Friday.

“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,” she added.

Before becoming the first female Bishop of London, Mullally, 63, was a cancer nurse and served as chief nursing officer for England. She was ordained as a priest in 2002, having become a Christian at the age of 16.

The 17-member Crown Nominations Commission — which was chaired by former MI5 head Lord Jonathan Evans and included Cottrell, bishops and lay members — met in May, July and September to discuss candidates.

Women were eligible for the senior position for the first time after rule changes approved during Welby’s tenure allowed women to become bishops. 

Some Church figures had criticised the length of time taken by the CNC, contrasting its months of meetings with the two days taken by the conclave of cardinals to elect Pope Leo XIV as head of the Catholic Church in May.

In a “statement of needs” in June, the Diocese of Canterbury said the next Archbishop would have to be “a person of the utmost integrity” who could speak to “social and political issues which impact the most vulnerable in our society”.

It added that the person would need to “embrace” both supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage, one of the most vexed issues inside the Church of England.

Unlike some other churches within the 85mn-strong Anglican Communion, same-sex couples cannot marry in the Church of England, although they can receive prayers of blessing.