Dame Sarah Mullally named first female Archbishop of Canterbury

Former chief nurse will replace Justin Welby as head of Church of England

Dame Sarah Mullally has wide experience in the Church of England, having been installed as the first female Bishop of London in 2018. AFP

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 to confirm her position as the church’s senior bishop.

In her first words since confirmation of her appointment, she referred to the terrorist attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall on Thursday, in which two people died and three others injured.

The terrorist was shot dead by police seven minutes after officers were alerted to the attack, which took place on Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day.

The Church of England has a “responsibility” to stand with the Jewish community against anti-Semitism after the attack, she said.

Dame Sarah said: “Mindful of the horrific violence of yesterday’s attack on a synagogue in Manchester, we are witnessing hatred that rises up through fractures across our communities…

“We, then, as a church, have a responsibility to be a people who stand with the Jewish community against antisemitism in all its forms.

“Hatred and racism of any kind cannot be allowed to tear us apart.”

In a statement released with confirmation of her appointment, Dame Sarah said while the role is a “huge responsibility”, she feels a sense of “peace and trust in God to carry me”.

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.

The Crown Nominations Commission (CNC), chaired by Lord Evans of Weardale – 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 Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which was then passed to King Charles III.

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 as well as the spiritual leader of the church and the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Mr Starmer welcomed the appointment, noting Dame Sarah is “the first woman to hold the role”.

She will legally become Archbishop of Canterbury at a ceremony in Canterbury Cathedral in January, followed by an enthronement service at a later date, with members of the royal family expected to attend.

She has wide experience in the church, having been installed as the first female Bishop of London in 2018.

In her first visit to Canterbury as archbishop designate, Dame Sarah visited a church on Friday and helped pack food parcels before the official announcement.

In February and March, more than 11,000 people took part 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.

Justin Welby resigned as the Archbishop of Canterbury in January. AP

In a job description published 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 should also be “unapologetic about offering a Christian perspective to local, national and international dialogue”.

Dame Sarah has been outspoken in her opposition to the assisted dying bill currently being considered by the UK 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, after 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 of England – might have been brought to justice had Mr Welby reported him to police in 2013.

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