Sarah Mullally named as new Archbishop of Canterbury

Dame Sarah Mullally Named First Female Archbishop of Canterbury

Dame Sarah Mullally has been announced as the next Archbishop of Canterbury – the first woman to be chosen for the role in the Church of England’s history.

The 63-year-old, a former NHS chief nurse, was ordained in 2006 and made history again in 2018 as the first female Bishop of London, the third most senior clerical post in the Church.

In her first public statement on Friday, she condemned the “horrific violence” of Thursday’s deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue, stressing: “Hatred and racism cannot tear us apart.”

The appointment comes nearly a year after Justin Welby stepped down following a safeguarding scandal. A damning report concluded he “could and should” have reported the abuse of boys and young men by John Smyth to police in 2013. Since then, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell has carried out most of the Archbishop’s duties on an interim basis.

Women were first ordained as priests in the Church of England in 1994, with the first female bishops consecrated two decades later in 2014.

Following tradition, Dame Sarah’s name was submitted to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer before being approved by King Charles III. Sir Keir welcomed her appointment, saying he looked forward to working with her, while the King praised her “role of such importance in the UK and across the global Anglican Communion.”

However, the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, representing conservative Anglicans, criticised the move, saying that “the majority of the Anglican Communion still believes that the Bible requires a male-only episcopacy.”

Dame Sarah’s election will be formally confirmed in January, followed later by her enthronement at Canterbury Cathedral, where she will pay homage to the King. Speaking there on Friday, she said: “In an age that craves certainty and tribalism, Anglicanism offers something quieter but stronger.”

She also pledged to address the Church’s safeguarding failures, acknowledging “a legacy of deep harm and mistrust,” and insisted leaders must be willing to “have light shone on our actions, regardless of our role in the Church.”

Married with two children, Dame Sarah spent more than three decades in the NHS, becoming England’s youngest-ever Chief Nursing Officer in 1999. Her career later combined healthcare leadership with church ministry, including posts as Canon Treasurer at Salisbury Cathedral, Bishop of Crediton, and then Bishop of London. Known for bringing her administrative experience to church reforms, she has been particularly outspoken on safeguarding, assisted dying – which she opposes – and same-sex blessings, which she described as “a moment of hope for the Church” when approved in 2023.

Reflecting on her appointment, she said her historic role could inspire young women: “They may not want to be a bishop or an archbishop, but it shows them there are possibilities to fulfil their dreams.”

Former Archbishop Rowan Williams described the challenge ahead as one of balance: “It requires having a newspaper in one hand and a Bible in the other. The expectation of having an opinion on everything is quite heavy.”