SARAH MULLALLY CONFIRMED AS FIRST FEMALE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

Former nurse Sarah Mullally has made history as the first woman to be officially confirmed as Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the spiritual head of the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion, which counts around 85 million followers across more than 165 countries.

The 63-year-old took up the position legally at a service held Wednesday at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral, ahead of her formal enthronement at Canterbury Cathedral on March 25. Mullally will begin her full public ministry after that date.

During the ceremony, a heckler briefly disrupted proceedings but was swiftly escorted out. Mullally, married with two children, spoke of leading with “calmness, consistency and compassion” during “times of division and uncertainty for our fractured world.”

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, second in rank in the Anglican hierarchy, said he hoped the church would learn from past failings and emerge “simpler, humbler and bolder” under her leadership.

Mullally succeeds Justin Welby, who resigned last year amid criticism over the church’s handling of a historic abuse scandal involving evangelical summer camps led by John Smyth, which affected as many as 130 boys and young men in the 1970s and 1980s.

Mullally’s appointment has sparked backlash from some conservative Anglicans, particularly in Africa, with The Church of Uganda calling it “sad news.” Longstanding tensions exist between conservative churches and more liberal Western counterparts over issues including women priests and LGBTQ+ rights.

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A former chief nursing officer for England, Mullally was ordained a priest in 2002 and became the first female Bishop of London in 2018. She has identified as a feminist and praised the Church of England’s 2023 decision to allow priests to bless same-sex couples, describing it as “a moment of hope for the church,” while acknowledging continuing differences within the communion.

The Church of England, established as Britain’s state church in the 1530s, places the British monarch as its supreme governor, while the Archbishop of Canterbury serves as the spiritual leader of Anglicans worldwide.

Mullally’s historic appointment marks a major milestone in the church’s ongoing evolution toward inclusivity and equality.