Dame Sarah Mullally Appointed as First Woman Leader of Canterbury
Dame Sarah Mullally has been appointed as the first female leader of the Church of England, with official sources revealing the 106th archbishop of Canterbury almost twelve months following the departure of Justin Welby over the handling of a safeguarding scandal.
This is the initial occasion an leader of the Anglican church has been appointed since the Church of England allowed women to become bishops in 2014.
The leader is seen as the spiritual leader of the Anglican church all over the world and also possesses a position in the upper parliamentary chamber.
The archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell took on most of the responsibilities temporarily, and was one of the voting members of the body charged with choosing the new leader.
The Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) had to agree to the new appointment by a two-thirds majority vote. Once decided, as per protocol, the steps entail presenting a nominee to the prime minister – in this case Keir Starmer and then passed to the monarch.
Mullally will not legally take on the role until a confirmation of election in January, with an enthronement service taking place later, after they have paid homage to the king.
