Dame Sarah Mullaly is the woman to ever hold the office
The first woman to be named Archbishop of Canterbury has told of her joy in making history as she paid tribute to those who paved the way for the moment.
Dame Sarah Mullally – the first female to take the role of top bishop in the Church of England – also acknowledged the challenges ahead due to the “legacy of deep harm and mistrust” she said existed because of past safeguarding failures.
She is the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, having been chosen to succeed Justin Welby after he announced his resignation almost a year ago over failures in handling an abuse scandal.
Dame Sarah’s appointment was welcomed by the King and the Prime Minister after she was chosen by a committee following a months-long process.
Currently Bishop of London, she 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.
In her first visit as archbishop-designate, Dame Sarah attended a local church on Friday and helped pack food parcels ahead of the formal announcement.
Speaking in Canterbury Cathedral, in her first public address since being named on Friday, she noted people had spoken of “this being a historic moment and a joyous one for many”.
She added: “I share with you in that joy, not for myself, but for a Church that listens to the calling of God and says, ‘yes, we will follow you’.”
She said she intends to “be a shepherd who enables everyone’s ministry and vocation to flourish, whatever the tradition”, referencing the global nature of her role in leading the Anglican Communion.
She added: “Today, I give thanks for all the men and women, lay and ordained deacons, priests and bishops who have paved the way for this moment, and to all the women that have gone before me – thank you for your support and inspiration.”
Technically, the King is head of the Church of England, but the person holding the role of Archbishop of Canterbury is the most senior bishop and the spiritual leader of the Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Charles congratulated Dame Sarah in her new role “which is of such importance in the UK and across the global Anglican Communion”.
Sir Keir welcomed her appointment, noting she is “the first woman to hold the role”.
In her address, Dame Sarah promised to tackle safeguarding failures in the Church, saying the “dynamics of power” must be confronted.
She said: “As a Church, we have too often failed to recognise or take seriously the misuse of power in all of its forms. As archbishop, my commitment will be to ensure that we continue to listen to survivors, care for the vulnerable, and foster a culture of safety and wellbeing for all.
“This will not be easy. Our history of safeguarding failures has left a legacy of deep harm and mistrust, and we must all be willing to have light shone on our actions, regardless of our role in the Church.”
But one victims’ advocate said some survivors of Church abuse had told him they are “surprised and dismayed by this appointment, given the very poor track record of mishandling of abuse in the Diocese of London”.
Andrew Graystone said: “We had hoped for a fresh start with someone who really understands safeguarding and could get a grip on the Church’s terrible past. Sarah Mullally is a good person, but she has an uphill task in rebuilding trust amongst the Church’s victims.”
The archbishop-designate told the PA news agency while there has been “significant change” on safeguarding in the Church, there must be a move “towards independent scrutiny”.
She has also emphasised the importance of faith “in our fractured and hurting world”, condemning the “horrific violence” of the Manchester synagogue terror attack.
During her address, she said the Church has a “responsibility” to stand with the Jewish community against antisemitism, adding: “Hatred and racism of any kind cannot be allowed to tear us apart.”
She said British society is “wrestling with complex moral and political questions”, referring to the right to die, migration and national identity.
She said: “The legal right of terminally ill people to end their own lives, our response to people fleeing war and persecution to seek safety and refuge, the pressures on communities who have been overlooked and undervalued, the deep-rooted question of who we are as a nation, in a world that so often seems on the brink.”
Dame Sarah has already been vocal in the House of Lords on the issue of assisted dying, and will have a vote on the current Bill in the coming months.
Having been installed as the first female Bishop of London in 2018, she has much experience in the Church.
Women were first ordained as priests in the Church in 1994, while the first female bishop appointments followed 20 years later.
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 names and the qualities they felt were required.
A job description published earlier this year by the Diocese of Canterbury said 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.
During his time in the role, Mr Welby had spoken out about poverty, calling for the controversial two-child benefit cap to be scrapped, and 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 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”.
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