History will be made Wednesday when Sarah Mullally becomes the first woman to hold the position of Archbishop of Canterbury, taking on leadership of the Church of England and its 85 million members worldwide.
The 63-year-old will be formally installed during a ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral, with 2,000 attendees expected including Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Mullally faces immediate challenges, including opposition from Gafcon, a conservative alliance of Anglican churches primarily in Africa and Asia. This group established a new governing council this month to directly challenge her authority after rejecting her appointment in October.
The conservative faction opposes women’s ordination—which the Church of England has permitted for over 30 years—and greater inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals. They had also rejected her predecessor Justin Welby’s leadership over policies allowing same-sex blessings.
Wednesday’s installation ceremony will combine ancient traditions with international elements. Mullally will follow the traditional ritual of requesting entry by knocking on the cathedral’s western entrance, where children will welcome her. The service will feature prayers and scripture readings in various languages including Urdu, along with African musical selections to represent the worldwide Anglican community.
Over 100 international visitors from 165 nations will attend the ceremony, where Mullally will take her place in the historic Chair of St Augustine, carved from Purbeck marble in the early 1200s. St Augustine established the Canterbury archbishopric in 597 after bringing Christianity to Anglo-Saxon England.
“To be welcomed into the city and diocese of Canterbury is an immense privilege,” Mullally stated.
In preparation for her installation, Mullally completed an 87-mile pilgrimage along the “Becket Camino” path from London’s St Paul’s Cathedral to Canterbury, visiting churches, educational institutions, and monasteries along the way.
Before entering religious service, Mullally worked as England’s Chief Nursing Officer. She was ordained in 2002 and became among the first women bishops in the Church of England in 2015. Her office announced she has extended invitations to nurses and healthcare workers for the ceremony.
“Installing Sarah as our first female Archbishop would have been almost unimaginable even 50 years ago,” commented Dean of Canterbury David Monteith, who will oversee the installation.
Unlike the Pope’s clear authority over global Catholicism, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s influence is primarily symbolic and relies on persuasion rather than direct control, making unity among progressive and conservative factions particularly challenging.
Mullally also takes over a Church of England grappling with decades of shrinking membership and working to restore confidence across its 16,000 parishes following historical safeguarding scandals that led to Welby’s departure.
Despite these challenges, the Church maintains significant influence in British society through its operation of thousands of schools and oversight of charitable organizations and community initiatives. The British monarch continues to serve as the Church’s Supreme Governor, a role established during the 16th-century Reformation.
