Dame Sarah Mullally has formally assumed office as the
new Archbishop of Canterbury following a ceremonial service held at St. Paul’s
Cathedral in London.
The 63-year-old cleric legally took up the role during
the historic service, ahead of her official enthronement at Canterbury
Cathedral scheduled for March 25. The Church said she will begin her full
public ministry and official engagements after the enthronement.
Proceedings at St. Paul’s were briefly disrupted by a
protester who interrupted the service before being escorted out of the
cathedral. The individual’s remarks were not immediately disclosed.
Mullally’s elevation has continued to generate mixed
reactions within the global Anglican Communion, particularly among conservative
groups. Several African churches have openly opposed her appointment, with the
Church of Uganda previously describing the development as “sad news.”
Tensions between conservative Anglican bodies and
their more liberal Western counterparts have persisted for years, especially
over issues such as the ordination of women and LGBTQ inclusion within the
church.
Speaking ahead of the service, Mullally said she hoped
to lead the church with “calmness, consistency and compassion” at a time she
described as marked by global division and uncertainty.
“It is both extraordinary and humbling to be called to
serve as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury,” she said.
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, the
second-most senior cleric in the Anglican hierarchy, said he hoped the church
would learn from past mistakes under her leadership and grow “simpler, humbler
and bolder” as it moves forward.
Mullally was named as successor to Justin Welby in
October, months after Welby announced his intention to step down amid
controversy surrounding a historic abuse scandal.
Welby resigned following the release of an independent
report which found that the Church of England had failed to properly address
allegations of serial abuse dating back to the 1970s. The report also concluded
that Welby did not alert authorities in 2013 when the allegations came to his
attention.
Investigators found that John Smyth, a lawyer who
organised evangelical youth camps in the 1970s and 1980s, was responsible for
the abuse of up to 130 boys and young men.
The Church of England, established as the country’s
state church after King Henry VIII broke from Rome in the 1530s, remains
closely linked to the British monarchy. While the monarch serves as its supreme
governor, the Archbishop of Canterbury is widely regarded as the spiritual head
of Anglicans worldwide.
Mullally, a married mother of two, spent more than 30
years working in Britain’s National Health Service and rose to the position of
Chief Nursing Officer for England in 1999.
She was ordained as a priest in 2002 and made history
in 2018 as the first woman to serve as Bishop of London, just four years after
the Church of England approved the ordination of female bishops.
A self-described feminist, Mullally has supported
recent reforms within the church, including the 2023 decision allowing priests
to bless same-sex couples, which she once described as “a moment of hope,”
while acknowledging ongoing divisions.
In a recent media interview, she reaffirmed her
commitment to challenging misogyny wherever it exists.
There were an estimated one million regular Anglican
worshippers in the UK in 2024, while the Anglican Communion says it has around
85 million followers across more than 165 countries worldwide.
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