DAME Sarah Mullally has made history as the first woman to be appointed Archbishop of Canterbury.
It was confirmed today that King Charles has approved the nomination of the Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally, for the role.
The mother-of-two, who is married to Irishman Eamonn Mullally, will become the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury and the first woman to ever hold the role when she is installed in a service due to be held at Canterbury Cathedral next year.
Ms Mullally has been the Bishop of London since 2018, when she was the first woman appointed to that role.
Before that she was Bishop of Crediton in the Diocese of Exeter.
Prior to her ordination in 2001, she was the Government’s Chief Nursing Officer for England.
Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally is the first women to be appointed Archbishop of Cantebury (Pic: AOC)At the age of 37, Ms Mullally was the youngest person ever to be appointed to that role.
The Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) for Canterbury nominated Ms Mullally for the Archbishop of Cantebury role, which will make her the most senior bishop in the Church of England.
“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,” Ms Mullally said today.
“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,” she added.
“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.
“I know this is a huge responsibility, but I approach it with a sense of peace and trust in God to carry me as He always has.”
Born in Woking in 1962, Dame Mullally became a Christian at the age of 16.
She has described her work as an NHS nurse, prior to her ordination, as “an opportunity to reflect the love of God”.
Her husband Eamonn works in IT and is a qualified City of London tour guide, while their two children, Liam and Grace, are now grown up.
Currently known as the Archbishop of Canterbury-designate, Dame Mullally will legally become the Archbishop of Canterbury at her Confirmation of Election at St Paul’s Cathedral in January 2026.
A service of installation will then take place at Canterbury Cathedral in March.
Dame Mullally takes over the role from former Archbishop of Cantebury, Justin Welby, who resigned from the position last year.