The Church of England announced on Friday that Sarah Mullally will be the next archbishop of Canterbury, the first time a woman has been selected for the role.
“While I respond to the call from Christ to this new ministry, I do this in the same spirit of service to God and to others who has motivated me since I first came to faith as a teenager,” Mullally said in a statement. “In every phase of that trip, through my nursing career and Christian ministry, I learned to listen deeply – to people and God’s soft prompt – to bring people together to find hope and healing.”
“I want, very simple, to encourage the church to continue to grow in confidence in the gospel, to talk about the love we find in Jesus Christ and that it is our actions,” she added.
Church of England Head resigns after not reporting for decades of sexual abuse by Zomerkamp Volunteer
The new archbishop of Great Britain of Canterbury-Designate, Sarah Mullally, speaks after the announcement of her placement, in Canterbury Cathedral in Southeast England on October 3, 2025. (Ben Stansall/AFP via Getty images)
The appointment of Mullally on the position was confronted with positive reactions from various British faith and political leaders.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said on Friday that King Charles III approved the nomination. Starmer said Mullally “will play a key role in our national life”, adding that he wants her “every success”.
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, who has been in his position since 2020, praised the move and said he was ‘delighted’. Cottrell described Mullally as “a person of enormous courage, wisdom, integrity and experience.”
“It will be my great pleasure to serve next to her and I hope that together we can continue the work to help the church of England easier, more humble and brave in his proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ and in our service to the nation,” Cottrell said.
Archbishop of Canterbury-Designate Sarah poses Mullally in Canterbury Cathedral, in Canterbury, Great Britain, October 3, 2025. (Toby Melville/Reuters)
Gen Z leads the rise in church visits in the UK: Poll
Lord Evans, chairman of the Crown Nominations Commission for Canterbury, said in a statement that he “will pray for Bishop Sarah while she is preparing to record this new ministry in the coming months.”
Mullally also received good wishes from Bishop Anthony Poggo, Secretary General of Anglican Communion, who invited churches in the global Anglican community to pray for her.
Since 2018 he has been serving as a bishop of London and replaced Mullally former Archbishop Justin Welby, who resigned last November after an independent investigation discovered that he did not act after learning about serial physical and sexual abuse by a volunteer in Christian Summer Camps.
Mullally became a Christian at the age of 16 and worked as a nurse before he was dedicated. She described her nursing career as “an opportunity to reflect the love of God.”
Archbishop of Canterbury-Designate Sarah delivers Mullally an address in Canterbury Cathedral, in Canterbury, Great Britain, October 3, 2025. (Toby Melville/Reuters)
She will be the first woman Archbishop of Canterbury After 105 male predecessors. Mullally, however, is no stranger in writing history, because at the age of 37 she became the youngest person ever appointed as Chief Nursing Officer of the government for England. She was later made a lady commander of the Order of the British Empire for her nursing performance.
Moreover, she became the first woman to serve on 12 May 2018 as Bishop of London in St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Mullally will be known as the Archbishop of Canterbury-Designate until her election is confirmed in St. Paul’s Cathedral on January 28, 2026, according to the church. A service from installation – also known as a “throne” – takes place on March 25, 2026 in the Cathedral of Canterbury.
“I know this is a huge responsibility, but I approach it with a feeling of peace and trust in God to wear myself as he has always done,” said Mullally.
Click here to get the Fox News app
The Church of England Is the Mother Church of the Anglican communion, which has more than 85 million members in 165 countries.
