Dame Sarah Mullally Selected as Pioneering Female Archbishop of Canterbury
Sarah Mullally has been named as the inaugural woman leader of the Church of England, with the government confirming the new spiritual leader of Canterbury almost twelve months following the departure of Justin Welby over the handling of a safeguarding scandal.
This marks the first time an leader of the Anglican church has been appointed since the Church of England opened the episcopate to women in 2014.
The leader is seen as the faith guide of the Anglican church worldwide and they also have a role in the Lords.
The archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell handled key tasks during the transition period, and was one of the voting members of the body charged with choosing the next archbishop.
The appointments commission had to approve the selection by a two-thirds majority vote. After agreement, as per protocol, the steps entail presenting a nominee to the prime minister – in this case Keir Starmer and then submitted to the sovereign.
The new archbishop will not formally assume the role until a formal endorsement in January, with an induction rite scheduled afterward, after allegiance is sworn to the sovereign.
