Sarah Mullally becomes first woman archbishop

Sarah Mullally, 64, was formally installed Wednesday as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman to hold the role in the Church of England’s history.

According to the BBC and other British media, the ceremony took place at Canterbury Cathedral in Kent. Mullally had already assumed the role in January, with the formal installation held Wednesday. As Archbishop of Canterbury, she serves as the senior bishop of the Church of England and the spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion, which includes about 85 million members across independently governed churches.

All 105 of her predecessors, dating back to St. Augustine in 597, were men. The Church of England first allowed women to be ordained as priests in 1994. Mullally was ordained in 2002 and became the first woman appointed Bishop of London in 2018.

In her remarks, Mullally said some members of the Anglican Communion had been unable to attend worship because of the U.S.-Iran war. “We pray continually for them, and for all parts of the world affected by conflict, including Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar,” she said.


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