Dame Sarah Mullally: Female Archbishop of Canterbury named in historic first

Dame Sarah Mullally has been named the first female Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England’s history.

A former chief nursing officer for England, Dame Sarah is now Archbishop of Canterbury-designate, ahead of a legal ceremony expected in the coming months to confirm her position as the Church’s top bishop. She is the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, with the role having been vacant for almost a year after Justin Welby announced he was to resign from office over failures in handling an abuse scandal.

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell took on most of the responsibilities in the interim, and was one of the voting members of the body charged with choosing Mr Welby’s successor.

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Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: "I welcome the appointment of The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Dame Sarah Mullally DBE as the new Archbishop of Canterbury and the first woman to hold the role.

“The Church of England is of profound importance to this country. Its churches, cathedrals, schools, and charities are part of the fabric of our communities. The Archbishop of Canterbury will play a key role in our national life. I wish her every success and look forward to working together.”

The Crown Nominations Commission (CNC), chaired by Lord Evans of Weardale – who is a former director-general of the MI5 security service, had to agree by a two-thirds majority vote.

Following agreement on a recommended candidate, in line with tradition, the process involved a name being given to the Prime Minister which was then passed to the monarch.

While, technically, the King is head of the Church of England, the person holding the role of Archbishop of Canterbury is the most senior bishop and is the spiritual leader of the Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Dame Sarah will legally become Archbishop of Canterbury at a ceremony in Canterbury Cathedral in January, followed by a formal enthronement service at a later date where members of the royal family are likely to be present. She has much experience in the Church, having been installed as the first female Bishop of London in 2018. In her first visit as archbishop-designate, Dame Sarah visited a local church on Friday and helped pack food parcels ahead of the formal announcement.

More than 11,000 people took part in February and March in a public consultation for the next archbishop – aimed at giving the public a chance to influence the future leadership of the Church, by submitting both names and the qualities they felt were required.

In a job description published earlier this year by the Diocese of Canterbury, it was stated the person filling the role should be someone of “the utmost integrity who is able to speak honestly” about failures and injustices in the Church, and a “servant leader, who shows compassion towards the disadvantaged and marginalised”.

They must also be “unapologetic about offering a Christian perspective to local, national and international dialogue”, it added. Dame Sarah has been outspoken in her opposition to the assisted dying Bill currently being considered in Westminster’s Parliament.

As a member of the House of Lords she will have a vote on the Bill, and has previously said: “We must oppose a law that puts the vulnerable at risk and instead work to improve funding and access to desperately needed palliative care services.”

During his time in the role, Mr Welby had been vocal on issues of poverty, calling for the controversial two-child benefit cap to be scrapped, and had strongly criticised the previous Conservative government’s scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, which he warned was “leading the nation down a damaging path”.

He announced his resignation in November 2024, following days of pressure after an independent review concluded barrister and Christian camp leader John Smyth – the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church – might have been brought to justice had Mr Welby formally reported him to police in 2013.

At the time, Mr Welby said he was quitting “in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse”.