Church of England instates first woman leader
Sarah Mullally became the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury
What happened
Sarah Mullally Wednesday was formally confirmed as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, making her the first woman to lead the Church of England. She also officially became the spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion, a confederation of 42 Anglican provinces, some of which do not accept the ordination of woman priests. London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral was transformed into an ecclesiastical courtroom for her Confirmation of Election, a centuries-old legal ceremony set within a church service.
Who said what
“These are times of division and uncertainty for our fractured world,” Mullally said in a statement. “I pray that we will offer space to break bread together” and “pledge myself to this ministry of hospitality.” England’s former chief nursing officer, Mullally served as Bishop of London before the previous Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, stepped down last January amid allegations he mishandled a prominent case of child sexual abuse.
Mullally’s new position “has been a notoriously difficult one in terms of holding together people with a broad range of theological viewpoints both at home and abroad,” the BBC said. The Church of England has allowed women priests since the 1990s and had female bishops since 2015, but male bishops can “continue to refuse to ordain women if they choose,” and Mullally “will now lead such bishops” in England. “It is fair to say that I have, both in my secular role as well as in the church, experienced misogyny at times,” she told reporters, pledging to help ensure the issue is “brought into the open.”
What next?
Mullally will begin her public ministry after her installation ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral on March 25.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Political cartoons for January 29Cartoons Thursday's political cartoons include 2nd amendment dibs, disturbing news, and AI-inflated bills
-
The UK’s supposed Christian revivalThe Explainer Research has shown that claims of increased church attendance, particularly among young people, ‘may be misleading’
-
God is now just one text away because of AIUnder the radar People can talk to a higher power through AI chatbots
-
Religion: Thiel’s ‘Antichrist’ obsessionFeature Peter Thiel’s new lectures cast critics of tech and AI as “legionnaires of the Antichrist”
-
Pope Leo wants to change the Vatican’s murky financesThe Explainer Leo has been working to change some decisions made by his predecessor
-
Pope Leo canonizes first millennial saintSpeed Read Two young Italians, Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati, were elevated to sainthood
-
Thailand's monk sex scandalIn The Spotlight New accusations involving illicit sex and blackmail have shaken the nation and opened a debate on the privileges monks enjoy
-
Southern Baptists lay out their political road mapThe Explainer The Southern Baptist Convention held major votes on same-sex marriage, pornography and more
-
Southern Baptists endorse gay marriage banSpeed Read The largest US Protestant denomination voted to ban same-sex marriage and pornography at their national meeting
