🔗 Share this article

Dame Sarah Mullally has been selected as the incoming spiritual leader of the Church of England - creating a milestone as the first woman to be picked for this significant position.

A former NHS chief nurse, the sixty-three-year-old entered the priesthood in 2006 and was appointed as the initial woman to serve as Bishop of London in 2018 - occupying the third highest position of religious leadership in the Anglican Church.

This marks the initial occasion in nearly 500 years of history that the Church has selected a woman to guide its direction.

Groundbreaking Appointment

The Church has been without someone in the top job for almost a year after the previous Archbishop resigned over a protection controversy.

He resigned following a damning report into a prolific child abuser associated with the Church. The report found that he "was able and obligated" have notified authorities about John Smyth's abuse of male youths to police in 2013.

The Archbishop of York assumed most of Mr Welby's responsibilities in an interim move, and was one of the voting members of the committee tasked with choosing his replacement.

Political Process

In line with tradition, the process of selecting a spiritual leader involves a name being given to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and then forwarded to the sovereign.

Sir Keir has applauded the selection of Dame Sarah, saying: "The Archbishop of Canterbury will serve an important function in our country's affairs. I wish her every success and look forward to collaborating."

Although formally, the King is head of the Church of England, the person occupying the position of Archbishop of Canterbury is the most senior bishop and is the religious guide of the religious institution and the global Anglican community.

Royal and International Reaction

The monarch has praised Dame Sarah on her new role, "which is of such importance in the UK and across the worldwide Anglican community", Buckingham Palace said.

The international conservative Anglican group, which represents conservative views, has questioned the selection, stating that although certain groups support the decision, "the majority of the Anglican Communion still maintains that the Bible mandates a male-only episcopacy."

Transition Period

She does not legally take on her position until a confirmation of election in the new year, and an enthronement service comes later, after they have paid homage to the monarch.

In a declaration on Friday after her new role was finalized, she stated: "I know this is a huge responsibility but I undertake it with a feeling of calm and trust in God to support me as He always has."

Speaking from Canterbury Cathedral, she said that "in an age that craves certainty and tribalism, Anglicanism provides a more subtle approach but more resilient."

Responding to Attack

Talking about the "terrible attack" of the previous day's incident on a Jewish house of worship in Manchester, she said "we are witnessing prejudice that emerges through divisions across our society."

She continued: "We then as a Church have a responsibility to be a group who stand with the Jewish community against prejudice against Jews in all its forms. Prejudice and discrimination of all types cannot be allowed to tear us apart."

Background and Career

A mother of two, she devoted more than three decades in the National Health Service, becoming the youngest-ever chief nursing officer for the country in 1999.

Although she was volunteering in the Church at the time, it was just a short time after that she chose to enter a clergy member and was quickly tasked with helping make reforms in the way the organization addressed abuse.

In 2012 she became canon treasurer at Salisbury Cathedral before assuming the role of diocesan leader in the regional church administration in 2015.

As London's religious leader she was regarded as someone who used her experience as an health service manager to help update the diocese.

Guiding Principles

"People frequently inquire what it has been like to have had different professional paths, first in the health service and now in the Church.

"I prefer to think that I have consistently maintained a single calling: to pursue Christian faith, to understand his teachings and to share his message, always seeking to live with compassion in the service of others, whether as a nurse, a religious leader, or a bishop."

Future Challenges

Perhaps the most urgent thing in her in-tray is still to develop improved approaches towards addressing misconduct and treating with more compassion those impacted by such incidents.

There has also been a reduction in church attendance, though London has to some extent bucked that trend.

A particular subject she has been particularly vocal on is end-of-life choices - she is a vociferous opponent, as was her preceding Archbishop.

When the law was passed in the Commons, she characterized it as "unworkable and unsafe and creates danger to the most at-risk individuals in our community."

Modern Positions

One of her roles as Bishop of London was to lead a committee trying to steer the Church's decision on whether to bless same-sex marriages.

She characterized the determination to ultimately permit priests to bless same-sex couples in last year as "a moment of hope for the Church."

Rowan Williams, described her position as requiring a "awareness of current affairs and a understanding of scripture."

Dr Williams told journalists "the expectation of having an opinion on everything is quite heavy."