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Dame Sarah Mullally has been named the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the first woman to hold the Church of England’s most senior clerical position.
King Charles approved the appointment of Mullally, Bishop of London since 2018, to lead the world’s 85mn-strong Anglican community, the Cabinet Office said on Friday.
The historic announcement comes after months of deliberation by the Crown Nominations Commission following the resignation of Justin Welby in November 2024.
Welby, who was Archbishop of Canterbury for almost 12 years, quit after intense pressure over his role in the Church of England’s failure to halt years of sexual and physical attacks carried out by a child abuser associated with the institution.
Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, temporarily assumed most of Welby’s responsibilities but soon faced calls to stand down himself over his handling of a separate sexual abuse case.
In February Cottrell conceded that the Church of England was facing “difficult and challenging times” in the wake of multiple safeguarding failings but said he was “determined . . . to make the changes necessary that will prevent these failings ever happening again”.
The 17-member Crown Nominations Commission — which was chaired by former MI5 head Lord Jonathan Evans and included Cottrell, bishops and lay members — met in May, July and September to discuss candidates.
Women were eligible for the senior position for the first time after rule changes approved during Welby’s tenure allowed women to become bishops.
Some Church figures had criticised the length of time taken by the CNC, contrasting its months of meetings with the two days taken by the conclave of cardinals to elect Pope Leo XIV as head of the Catholic Church in May.
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