Sarah Mullally, 63, was enthroned Wednesday as Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the first woman to lead the Church of England and spiritual head of the global Anglican Communion.
The historic installation took place at Canterbury Cathedral before 2,000 guests, including Prince William and Catherine. Mullally knocked three times on the cathedral’s west door with a staff-a centuries-old tradition-before being welcomed in.
Dressed in golden-yellow robes, she declared her mission: to serve, proclaim Christ’s love, and worship with the faithful. She now holds dual authority as bishop of Canterbury and leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide.
Mullally succeeds Justin Welby, who resigned in 2024 after criticism over his handling of a long-running sexual abuse scandal. She has pledged to make the church safer and more responsive to survivors, calling for deeper trauma-informed practices.
A former NHS chief nursing officer, Mullally served over 30 years in healthcare before ordination in 2002. She became Bishop of London in 2018-the first woman in that role.
Her rise follows decades of debate within the Anglican Communion over female leadership. While many provinces, including the U.S., have long ordained women bishops, others, like Rwanda’s Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, oppose the move.
More than 40 of England’s 108 bishops are now women, reflecting a significant shift since the church first allowed female clergy in the 1990s.