A woman has been named to the post of Archbishop of Canterbury for the first time in the history of the Church of England,
NBC News reports.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Friday that King Charles had approved the nomination of Sarah Mullally, bishop of London, for the church’s most senior position. She will be installed in a service at Canterbury Cathedral in March 2026.
Mullally is the first female Archbishop of Canterbury to be chosen since women were allowed to become bishops in 2014.
As the spiritual leader of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury heads a global Anglican community of around 85 million people across 165 countries.
In a statement following her appointment, Mullally said: “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.”
“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.”
