Sarah Mullally has been appointed the new Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the first woman in nearly 500 years of history to hold the position, BBC reports.
The 63-year-old, a former chief nurse in the UK’s National Health Service, began her priestly ministry in 2006 and was appointed as London’s first female bishop in 2018, ranking as the third-highest member of the Church of England clergy.
In her first public statement on Friday, October 3, 2025, Mullally condemned the “horrific violence” of Thursday’s attack at a synagogue in Manchester, emphasizing that “hatred and racism cannot divide us.”
The Church of England had been without a leader in this position for nearly a year following the resignation of Justin Welby, who stepped down after a critical report revealed failures in handling abuse linked to the Church. The report concluded that Welby “could and should” have reported the abuse of boys and young men by John Smyth to the police in 2013.
During this interim period, Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, assumed most of Welby’s responsibilities and was part of the body responsible for electing Mullally’s successor.
Women were first ordained as priests in the Church of England in 1994, and the first female bishops were appointed in 2014.
Following tradition, the appointment of a new Archbishop of Canterbury involves the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, receiving the name for approval before it is passed to the monarch. Starmer welcomed Mullally’s appointment, stating: “The Archbishop of Canterbury will play a key role in our national life. I wish her every success and look forward to working together.”
Although the King is technically the head of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury serves as the senior cleric and spiritual leader of the Church and the global Anglican Communion. King Charles III congratulated Mullally on her new role, describing it as “of great importance to the United Kingdom and the global Anglican Communion,” according to Buckingham Palace.
