Dame Sarah Elisabeth Mullally has been appointed the first woman Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England’s history. It is the first time in nearly 500 years of history that the Church nominated a woman to lead it.
The Church had been without someone in the top job for almost a year, after Justin Welby resigned over his failure to report a prolific child abuser.
Born March 26, 1962, Mullally is a British Anglican prelate and former Chief Nursing Officer for England from 1999 to 2004, and National Health Service’s (NHS) Director of Patients Experience for England.
The 63-year-old became a priest in 2006. From 2015 to 2018, she served as Bishop of Crediton, a suffragan bishop in the diocese of Exeter. She was appointed as the first female Bishop of London in 2018 – the third most senior member of clergy in the Church of England.
Her nomination as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury was announced on Thursday October 3, making her the first woman to be appointed to lead the Church of England in that role. Her election by the College of Canons is expected before Christmas, with legal confirmation at St Paul’s Cathedral on 28 January 2026.
She will then be formally installed at Canterbury Cathedral in March, marking the beginning of her public ministry in the role. With her new role as the Archbishop of Canterbury, she sits on the Lords Spiritual benches in the House of Lords. She will then be formally installed at Canterbury Cathedral in March, marking the beginning of her public ministry in the role.