Sarah Mullally named the first female Archbishop of Canterbury

King Charles III has appointed Bishop Sarah Mullally of London as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, marking a historic moment for the Church of England.

Mullally, a married mother of two and former Chief Nursing Officer for England, will become the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, breaking a tradition that has lasted for more than 1,400 years.

The appointment has been welcomed by religious leaders across the UK. Cardinal Vincent Nichols, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, praised the Archbishop-designate, saying she “will bring many personal gifts and experience to her new role.”

Mullally, 63, was made Bishop of London in 2018 – the Church of England’s third most senior bishop after the archbishops of Canterbury and York. Before her ordination, Mullally worked as a nurse at hospitals in London, going on to serve as Chief Nursing Officer for England.

“As I respond to the call of Christ to this new ministry, I do so in the same spirit of service to God and to others that has motivated me since I first came to faith as a teenager,” Mullally said after her appointment was announced on Friday.

“At every stage of that journey, through my nursing career and Christian ministry, I have learned to listen deeply – to people and to God’s gentle prompting – to seek to bring people together to find hope and healing.”

Mullally is expected to take office in the coming months, where she will face the challenge of leading the Anglican Church through modern social, cultural, and spiritual issues.