Sarah Mullally To Lead Church of England as First Woman Archbishop
4th October 2025
Mullally, 63, was confirmed on Friday following approval from King Charles III, who is the supreme governor of the Church of England. A former chief nursing officer for England, Mullally was ordained in 2002 and rose quickly through the hierarchy, becoming Bishop of London in 2018.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the most senior cleric in the Church of England and functions as a figurehead for the Anglican churches worldwide. The decision to appoint a woman is likely to deepen existing rifts within the Anglican Communion, particularly with provinces in Africa and Asia that have strongly opposed female bishops and liberal reforms.
So much for the ‘Anglican Union’.