Sarah Mullally Named as Pioneering Woman Archbishop of Canterbury
Dame Sarah Mullally has been appointed as the first female leader of the Church of England, with the government confirming the top cleric of Canterbury nearly a year after the departure of Justin Welby following a safeguarding controversy.
This represents the inaugural instance an top bishop of Canterbury has been chosen since the Church of England allowed women to become bishops in 2014.
The leader is seen as the faith guide of the Anglican church all over the world and also possesses a seat in the House of Lords.
The archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell took on most of the responsibilities in the interim, and was one of the voting members of the group responsible for selecting the next archbishop.
The selection body had to approve the selection by a two-thirds majority vote. After agreement, according to custom, the steps entail presenting a nominee to the prime minister – in this case Keir Starmer and then submitted to the sovereign.
Mullally will not legally take on the role until a formal endorsement in January, with an enthronement service occurring subsequently, after allegiance is sworn to the sovereign.
