The Church of England on Friday appointed Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, making her the first woman to lead the mother church of Anglicanism and its global communion.
Mullally, 63, succeeds Justin Welby, who resigned earlier this year following criticism of his handling of a historic abuse scandal. Her nomination was approved by King Charles III after a selection process overseen by a committee led by a former head of MI5.
Ordained in 2002 after a career in nursing, Mullally became the first female Bishop of London in 2018. She now becomes the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, a position dating back to the late sixth century.
In a statement, Mullally acknowledged the “huge responsibility” of the office but said she felt “peace and trust in God to carry me.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed her appointment, calling the Church of England “of profound importance to this country” and praising its role in communities through “churches, cathedrals, schools, and charities.”
Welby’s resignation followed an independent inquiry that found the church covered up abuse by lawyer John Smyth, who allegedly assaulted more than 100 boys and young men at evangelical camps in the 1970s and 1980s. Smyth, who died in South Africa in 2018, never faced charges.
The scandal deeply shook the Church of England, which has about 20 million baptized members in the UK but fewer than one million regular worshippers, according to 2022 figures.
The church began permitting female bishops in 2014 after years of internal dispute. Today, more than 40 of England’s 108 bishops are women, with similar representation among priests. Globally, the Anglican Communion counts 85 million adherents in over 165 countries, with some provinces allowing women bishops since 1989.
