Glass ceiling breaks, as Sarah Mullally becomes first female Archbishop of Canterbury

Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally poses for a portrait during an 87-mile pilgrimage from St Paul’s Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral, ahead of her installation ceremony as Archbishop of Canterbury on March 25, in Aylesford March 20, 2026. — Reuters pic

LONDON, March 25 — Sarah Mullally will be enthroned as the Church of England’s first female Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide in a ceremony mixing tradition with global symbolism at Canterbury Cathedral today.

“I recognise the significance of being the first female Archbishop,” she told BBC News in an interview before the service, adding the ceremony would feature women’s voices.

Marking the start of her public ministry, the service will seat the former nurse and civil servant in the 13th-century Chair of St Augustine before some 2,000 guests, including heir-to-the-throne Prince William and his wife Kate, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and religious leaders.

“It’s a huge moment for the Church... I don’t think any of us thought we’d have a female Archbishop this quickly,” Bishop Rachel Treweek, who was consecrated alongside Mullally in 2015 among the CoE’s first women bishops, told Reuters.

While Mullally’s appointment in October drew sharp criticism from a conservative grouping of Anglican churches in mostly African and Asian countries called Gafcon, the bloc this month abandoned earlier plans to name a parallel figurehead to Mullally, establishing a new council instead.

A representative body within the global Communion also scrapped a previous proposal for a rotating presidency following concerns about potential rivalry with the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Tensions between progressive and conservative Christians are not unique to Anglicanism, but the Archbishop’s role is largely symbolic and dependent on persuasion, unlike the Pope, who wields clear authority over Catholics worldwide.

“Anyone who became Archbishop of Canterbury, there would always be issues with some parts of the wide Anglican Communion ... This isn’t new”, Treweek said.

Ceremony to reflect Anglicanism’s global reach

Recent Archbishops have struggled to balance the complexities of the Archbishop’s position and bridge divisions over LGBTQ+ and women’s leadership between England’s now more progressive church and more traditionalist provinces elsewhere.

Gafcon had rejected Mullally’s predecessor Justin Welby’s leadership over a CoE move to bless same-sex unions.

Mullally herself has emphasised unity in diversity, telling Reuters last October: “We’re a family with a shared root, and with any global church there is great diversity in it.”

Today, she will seek admission to the cathedral by knocking on its west door, wearing a mitre and a cope secured by a clasp modelled on the belt she wore as a National Health Service nurse. She will then be greeted by children.

Mullally will also wear a ring given to one of her predecessors, Michael Ramsey, by Pope Paul VI in 1966, a symbol of improving ties between Anglicans and Catholics, centuries after King Henry VIII split from Rome.

Prayers and readings in multiple languages, including Urdu, alongside African choruses will reflect the global reach of the Anglican Church during the service.

The Feast of the Annunciation — a celebration of the biblical account of an angel telling Mary she would be the mother of Jesus — falls on Wednesday this year and will be the major theme of the service.

Bishop Nicholas Baines said: “Archbishop Sarah offers the church an opportunity to create a different and more confident conversation. She brings the right gifts and experience for such a time as this.” — Reuters