Former nurse Sarah Mullally was officially confirmed Wednesday as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury and the first woman to head the Church of England, the mother church of the 85-million-strong global Anglican communion.
At a historic service at London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral, Mullally, 63, legally took up the position ahead of her formal installation—or enthronement—at Canterbury Cathedral on March 25.
Mullally will begin her public ministry and full programme of public engagements after that date, according to the church.
A heckler briefly interrupted proceedings and was escorted from the cathedral, although it was not immediately clear what the person said.
Her appointment has caused a backlash among some conservative members of the Anglican Communion, particularly in Africa, with the Church of Uganda describing it last October as “sad news.”