Mullally, 63, a married mother of two and former chief nurse, officially becomes 106th Archbishop of Canterbury in historic ceremony.
History was made on Wednesday as Sarah Mullally was confirmed as the first woman to lead the Church of England in its 1,400-year history, officially becoming the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury.
The 63-year-old’s appointment was formally recognized by ecclesiastical judges in a “Confirmation of Election” ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The service, a blend of ancient legal tradition and modern worship, marked the definitive moment Mullally took spiritual and administrative command of the established church and the global Anglican Communion.
“A profound service of Confirmation of Election today, it reflected the diversity of the Anglican Communion and the Church of England,” Mullally said in a video statement released shortly after the ceremony.
The service was designed to signal a new era of inclusivity. It featured a Xhosa South African chant, “Thuma Mina” (Send Me Lord), and a reading delivered in both English and Portuguese—a nod to the growing Anglican community in Mozambique and Angola. In her first official act as Archbishop, Mullally took up the Primatial Cross to deliver the final blessing, a powerful visual of the breaking of the “stained-glass ceiling.”
From the Wards to the Altar
Mullally’s path to the Throne of St. Augustine is as unconventional as it is historic. A married mother of two, she is a former cancer nurse who rose to become the youngest-ever Chief Nursing Officer for England in 1999. She was ordained a priest in 2001, balancing her ministry with her career in the National Health Service before entering the church full-time in 2004.
Prior to this appointment, she served as the Bishop of London, the third-most senior position in the church, where she was known for her pragmatic, “calmness, consistency, and compassion” approach to leadership—skills honed during her years in healthcare management.
A Church in Transition
Mullally succeeds Justin Welby, who resigned in November 2024 following the publication of the Makin Review. The report concluded that Welby had failed to ensure allegations of abuse by the late John Smyth—a prolific child abuser associated with the church—were energetically investigated.
Welby’s departure plunged the church into a crisis of confidence, with survivors and clergy alike calling for systemic change. Mullally’s election by the College of Canons of Canterbury Cathedral on November 25, 2025, is widely seen as a mandate for a fresh start, focusing on safeguarding reform and unifying a communion often fractured by debates over sexuality and gender.
What Comes Next
While Wednesday’s legal ceremony confers the powers of the office, the ceremonial grandeur awaits.
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February 2026: Archbishop Mullally will co-preside over the General Synod in London, delivering her first presidential address to the church’s parliament.
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March 2026: She will be formally enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral in an Installation service, where she is expected to outline her vision for the future of the church.
As the bells of St. Paul’s rang out across London, the significance was clear: for the first time since St. Augustine arrived in 597 AD, a “Mother of the Church” now holds the keys.
