On March 25, 2026, former nurse Sarah Mullally became the first female archbishop of Canterbury. She was elected by the Crown Nominations Commission, after the resignation of her predecessor, Justin Welby, after accusations that he mishandled a sexual abuse scandal. Her ordination took place in the historic Canterbury Cathedral, attended by church officials and British royalty.
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and, broadly speaking, spiritual head of the Anglican church. The position has existed since 597. The Church of England (which is often used as another name for the Anglican church) split from the Roman Catholic Church in the 1530s, rejecting the authority of the Pope and naming the King “Supreme Head of the Church of England” (the English monarch is now instead called the “supreme governor”). Despite its distinctly English origins, the Anglican Church is now a worldwide denomination, governed by a network of bishops with the archbishop of Canterbury being “first among equals.” Mullally is the 106th archbishop of Canterbury.
Unsurprisingly, the decision to ordain Mullally has sparked controversy in the Anglican community. Some view Mullally’s installation as a step in the right direction, while others view it as a breach of tradition and disobedience to the teachings of Scripture. The Anglican Church of Nigeria issued a statement calling the appointment as “a devastating [event] that ignores the current situation and challenges being faced by the Anglican Communion,” calling it “insensitive” to the ongoing debate in the Anglican church over the ordination of women and same-sex marriage (an issue on which Mullally has professed a more liberal stance). Gafcon, a worldwide coalition of Anglicans, released a communique penned by the archbishop of Rwanda arguing that, “[D]ue to the failure of successive archbishops of Canterbury to guard the faith, the office can no longer function as a credible leader of Anglicans, let alone a focus of unity.” They then announced they would no longer continue to be in communion with Canterbury, declaring that, “Today, Gafcon is leading the Global Anglican Communion.”
Some surveys indicate that a growing amount of Anglicans support same-sex marriages, but the issue remains divisive, as does the ordination of women. The Anglican church only began ordaining female priests and bishops in the late 20th century, and even then only specific dioceses permitted the practice. The Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and many Protestant churches still forbid the ordination of women due to their understanding of the role of priests/pastors and their interpretation of passages such as 1 Timothy 2:12.
Pope Leo XIV sent an open letter to Mullally, expressing hope for continued ecumenical dialogue between the Catholic and Anglican Church, although he candidly wrote, “At the same time, we also know that the ecumenical journey has not always been smooth. Despite much progress, our immediate predecessors, Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby, acknowledged frankly that ‘new circumstances have presented new disagreements among us.’”
In her first sermon after her installation, Mullally expressed, “As I look back over my life – at the teenage Sarah, who put her faith in God and made a commitment to follow Jesus, I could never have imagined the future that lay ahead, and certainly not the ministry to which I am now called.” Despite her gratitude, however, the future of the Church of England is uncertain, due to the ongoing controversies in regards to her appointment and other social issues.
SOURCES:
MONDAY, 6TH… – Church of Nigeria- Anglican Communion | Facebook
Canterbury Appointment Abandons Anglicans – GAFCON: Global Anglicans
For the first time in more than 1,400 years, Church of England gets a woman leader : NPR
An Anglican Layman Looks at Women’s Ordination | The North American Anglican
Majority of Anglicans believe same-sex marriage is right, survey shows | The Independent
‘Teenage me could not have imagined this’ says first female Archbishop of Canterbury – AOL
