The Bishop of London, Rt. Rev. and Rt. Hon. Dame Sarah Mullally DBE, has been appointed as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the first woman to lead the worldwide Anglican Communion of 85 million members in 165 countries.
The announcement by Lambeth Palace, following confirmation by Downing Street on Oct. 3 that King Charles III approved the nomination, follows months of debate over the appointment process. Critics in the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) had argued that procedural flaws and new regulations barred male clergy from consideration, raising questions about transparency in the selection.
The Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) for Canterbury nominated Mullally after a “process of public consultation and prayerful discernment that began in February this year,” Lambeth Palace said.
Mullally, a former chief nursing officer for England and later Bishop of London, will formally take office at her Confirmation of Election at St. Paul’s Cathedral in January 2026, followed by her installation at Canterbury Cathedral in March. Ordained in 2001 after a career in nursing, she has emphasized service, listening, and unity as the hallmarks of her ministry.
“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,” Mullally said.
“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.
“I want, very simply, to encourage the Church to continue to grow in confidence in the Gospel, to speak of the love that we find in Jesus Christ and for it to shape our actions.”
Mullally also said she looked forward to sharing her journey of faith with the millions of people serving God and their communities in parishes all over the country and across the global Anglican Communion.
“I know this is a huge responsibility, but I approach it with a sense of peace and trust in God to carry me as He always has.”
Born in the town of Woking in Surrey, England, in 1962, Mullally became a Christian at the age of 16. Before being ordained, Bishop Sarah worked as a nurse in the National Health Service, which she has described as "an opportunity to reflect the love of God".
Mullally had been the first woman to be Bishop of London, appointed on May 12, 2018. She is married to Eamonn and they have two grown-up children, Liam and Grace.
Lambeth Palace began the search for a successor after Archbishop Justin Welby stepped down on Jan. 6, 2025.
Welby had been mired in controversy about his safeguarding role over a serial paedophile and after criticism by some Anglican leaders for supporting homosexual unions, as previously reported by Christian Daily International.
After Welby left office, a key figure in the Church of England Evangelical Council raised concerns about how the next archbishop was being chosen. Rev. Andrew Goddard, a CEEC member and ethics tutor at Westminster Theological Centre and Ridley Hall, said the process lacked transparency and “due process” in the Canterbury diocese.
He pointed to confusion over three different Vacancy in See Committees formed since Welby’s resignation, none of which he said clearly complied with new General Synod regulations. He also argued the rules effectively excluded male clergy from consideration. Because Canterbury could elect only three members to the Crown Nominations Commission, and new requirements mandated one clergywoman and one laywoman, Goddard said “no male clergyperson can be elected.”
CEEC national director John Dunnett backed Goddard’s analysis, calling the flaws a “cause for concern” and warning that confidence in the appointment could be undermined if due process was ignored.
Meanwhile, Bishop Anthony Poggo, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, issued a statement welcoming the appointment of Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury.
“I welcome and commend the nomination of Bishop Sarah as the next Archbishop of Canterbury and invite the churches of the global Anglican Communion to pray for her as she prepares to take up this important ministry,” said Poggo.
“May God grant her wisdom and discernment, as she seeks to listen to Member churches, encourage mutual support, and foster unity.
He noted that the Anglican Communion Office will support her ministry as she works with other provinces and the Communion’s governing bodies.
