First woman archbishop of Canterbury to lead Church of England

Vatican City, Oct 3, 2025 / 11:53 am (CNA).

Anglican Bishop of London Sarah Mullally will become the first woman archbishop of Canterbury after her nomination was approved by King Charles III.

Archbishop-designate Mullally will be installed as the Church of England’s highest-ranking bishop in March 2026. That will formally make her the spiritual leader of approximately 85 million Anglicans living in 165 countries — even as the Anglican Communion’s cohesion is under increasing strain from disagreements over teaching and practice on LGBT issues.

In an Oct. 2 statement released on the archbishop of Canterbury website, Mullally said she wants to “respond to the call of Christ” in her new ministry with the “spirit of service to God” that has motivated her since her youth.

“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 said.

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales president Cardinal Vincent Nichols welcomed the news of Mullally’s appointment as Canterbury’s 106th archbishop, saying on X “she will bring many personal gifts and experience to her new role.”  

Vatican prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity Cardinal Kurt Koch congratulated Mullally in a letter on Friday, imparting the “good wishes of the Catholic Church” in spite of “occasional tensions” in theological dialogue between the two churches.

“I know that the challenges facing the Church of England and the Anglican communion at this time are considerable and the appointment of a new archbishop has been awaited with much interest and expectation,” Koch wrote.

Mullally’s appointment comes nearly one year after her successor, former archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, resigned from the post in November 2024, facing criticism of how he handled historical child abuse cases that occured in the U.K. and Africa and controversy over his support for allowing blessings of same-sex relationships. During the church’s July 2024 general synod, services for the blessings of same-sex couples were approved to take place in its parishes. 

The archbishop-designate supported the move to allow Anglican ministers to offer blessings to same-sex couples and she has led processes to review the Church of England’s teachings and policies regarding marriage and sexuality.

Conflict over these issues has continued to shake the Anglican Communion since Welby’s departure.

In July, the Church of England voted to remove a 1991 teaching document, “Issues in Human Sexuality,” from its requirements for clergy selection, citing the document, which condemned homosexual activity, as “contextually inappropriate” and “prejudicial and offensive to many people.”

The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), a grouping of conservative Anglicans especially strong in Africa and Asia, protested the decision, saying Friday it is “clearer than ever before that Canterbury has relinquished its authority to lead” the church founded by King Henry VIII 1534. 

Mullally will legally become the archbishop of Canterbury at her “confirmation of election” at St. Paul’s Cathedral in January 2026.

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/266953/first-woman-archbishop-of-canterbury-to-lead-church-of-england