Church Of England Names First Female Archbishop Of Canterbury

The Church of England has named Sarah Mullally, a former cancer nurse and Bishop of London, as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, marking the first time a woman holds the position in the history of the Church of England and the global Anglican Communion. 

Her leadership will be challenged by internal divides within the Anglican Communion over liberal and conservative viewpoints on various social issues.

Her appointment, approved by King Charles III and welcomed by many in Britain, has drawn criticism from conservative Anglican churches in Africa and the Church of England's own evangelical wing, who have questioned her stance on issues such as same-sex relationships.

While the appointment was welcomed by many religious leaders in Britain, Laurent Mbanda, archbishop of Rwanda and chairman of a global grouping of conservative Anglican churches, told Reuters that Mullally would not unite the Communion.

A bishop in Nigeria said the choice was “very dangerous” because women should follow men. The Church of England’s evangelical wing also called for a halt to what it called a drift away from scripture.

Bishop of London since 2018, Mullally has previously championed blessings for same-sex couples, a major source of contention in the global Anglican Communion. Homosexuality is outlawed in some African countries.

In an address in Canterbury Cathedral on Friday, she said she would seek to help every ministry to flourish, “whatever our tradition”.

On same-sex relationships, she told Reuters in an interview that the Church of England and the broader Anglican Communion had long wrestled with difficult issues.

“It may not be resolved quickly,” she added.

Mullally said she wanted the Church to tackle the misuse of power after sexual abuse scandals and safeguarding issues, and she condemned rising antisemitism following an attack on a synagogue in Manchester on Thursday, which killed two men.

The Church of England, which broke away from Roman Catholicism in the 16th century, has allowed women to be ordained as priests for more than 30 years and to become bishops for more than a decade.

Those reforms have been rejected by many churches in Africa and Asia, which fall under the Anglican Communion and consider the Archbishop of Canterbury as their ceremonial head, but set their own rules.

“Christ is the head of the Church, man is the head of the family, and from creation God has never handed over the position of leadership to woman,” Nigeria’s Funkuro Godrules Victor Amgbare, Bishop of Northern Izon, told Reuters in Abuja.

Mullally's installation is set for early 2026, at which point she will succeed Justin Welby