Bishop Sarah Mullally DBE today became the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, at her Confirmation of Election at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. She is the first woman to hold the office in its 1,400-year history.
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England (the British monarch is the church’s Supreme Governor), as well as the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which is active in more than 150 countries and counts around 100 million adherents.
The process of choosing a new Archbishop of Canterbury involves nomination by the 20-member Crown Appointments Commission, made up of representatives of the Church and chaired by a layperson appointed by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister submits the chosen candidate to the monarch for approval.
Her Grace Sarah, born 1962, was ordained a priest in 2002 and bishop in 2015. She became Bishop of London in 2017, a position that entitled her to a seat in the House of Lords. Before entering the ministry, she worked as a nurse, and served as Chief Nursing Officer for England from 1999 to 2004.
Bishop Sarah said in a statement, “It is an extraordinary and humbling privilege to have been called to be the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury. In this country and around the world, Anglican churches bring healing and hope to their communities.”
The Church of England approved the ordination of women in 1992, and the first female priests were appointed in 1994. Libby Lane was consecrated as a bishop in 2015. The Anglican Church now has seven women bishops out of a total of 42.
Women have taken up leadership positions in other churches, including those that are part of the Anglican Communion, for over 100 years. However the Catholic Church and the Orthodox churches, including Egypt’s Coptic Church, do not permit the ordination of women.
Elements of the Church of England and from the wider Anglican Communion remain opposed to the ordination of women and gay people, and other issues such as priests officiating at or blessing same-sex marriages.
Today’s Confirmation will be followed by an Installation service at Canterbury Cathedral in March. Bishop Mullally will begin her public ministry and full programme of public engagements following her Installation.
The office of Archbishop of Canterbury was founded in 597 AD and, following King Henry VII’s break with Rome, the Church of England was established in the 16th century. With British colonialism, the Anglican Church spread worldwide.
