London Bishop Sarah Mullally was approved by King Charles III as the 106th archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the world’s 85 million Anglicans, on Oct. 3, 2025. Photo: Alberto Pezzali/AP
[Episcopal News Service] London Bishop Sarah Mullally has been chosen as the next archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the first woman to serve in the historic leadership role for both the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Mullally will succeed former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who stepped down in January under pressure from a scandal in which he was accused of not appropriately addressing allegations of child abuse by a prominent church member.
The archbishop of Canterbury, as the most senior bishop in the Church of England, is seen as an “instrument of communion” among the 42 autonomous, interdependent provinces that make up the 85-million-member Anglican Communion, all of which, including The Episcopal Church, have historic ties with the Church of England.
Mullally’s nomination as the 106th archbishop of Canterbury was approved by King Charles III, a largely ceremonial step in a process overseen by the Church of England, though her selection followed months of deliberation by the Crown Nominations Commission with input from Anglicans around the world. The selection now must be ratified by the College of Canons of Canterbury Cathedral later this year and confirmed at a ceremony in January, after which she will take office.
Mullally, 63, has served as the bishop of London since 2018. She was ordained to the priesthood in 2001 after a career as a nurse treating cancer patients. An installation service for the new archbishop of Canterbury is scheduled for March 2026 at Canterbury Cathedral.
“As I respond to the call of Christ to this new ministry, I do so in the same spirit of service to God and to others that has motivated me since I first came to faith as a teenager,” Mullally said in a written statement. “At every stage of that journey, through my nursing career and Christian ministry, I have learned to listen deeply – to people and to God’s gentle prompting – to seek to bring people together to find hope and healing.
“I want, very simply, to encourage the Church to continue to grow in confidence in the Gospel, to speak of the love that we find in Jesus Christ and for it to shape our actions. And I look forward to sharing this journey of faith with the millions of people serving God and their communities in parishes all over the country and across the global Anglican Communion.”
As archbishop of Canterbury, Mullally becomes the “first among equals” with the primates of the other 41 Anglican provinces, with responsibility for convening the Primates’ Meeting and Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops. Those two bodies make up the Instruments of Communion, along with the Anglican Consultative Council and the archbishop of Canterbury, who serves as a “focus of unity” while also presiding at Anglican Consultative Council meetings.
Bishop Anthony Poggo, secretary general of the Anglican Communion, issued a statement celebrating the selection of Mullally and inviting Anglicans “to pray for her as she prepares to take up this important ministry. May God grant her wisdom and discernment, as she seeks to listen to Member churches, encourage mutual support, and foster unity.”
And Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe described Mullally as “a wise and steady leader, a faithful advocate for the leadership of women in the church, and a bishop who will be committed to safeguarding vulnerable people and victims of abuse.”
“I have written to Bishop Sarah to send my warmest congratulations to her, her husband, Eamonn, and their family, and to tell her how much I look forward to working with her at the primates meeting and across the Anglican Communion,” Rowe said. “Please join me in praying for the Church of England, for all of the primates and churches of the Anglican Communion, and for Bishop Sarah at this momentous time.”
Mullally takes office at a fraught time for the Anglican Communion, which also is poised to consider changes to the archbishop of Canterbury’s leadership role in the communion.
Two proposals, which will be taken up next year by the Anglican Consultative Council, would adjust how the 42 Anglican provinces relate to each other — de-emphasizing the Church of England and the archbishop of Canterbury while elevating more geographically diverse leaders for the global network of Anglican and Episcopal churches.
The proposals were developed partly in response to longstanding theological divisions between some of the provinces, and it remains to be seen whether the proposed changes could mend what some conservative bishops have described as their “impaired” communion with provinces like The Episcopal Church that are more progressive on issues of LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Under one of the proposals, the archbishop of Canterbury would no longer serve as the ACC president; the presidency instead would rotate among leaders from the Anglican Communion’s five regions. And the Primates’ Meeting and Lambeth Conference would be newly convened by the Primates’ Standing Committee.
– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.