History was made on Friday as the Church of England appointed Dame Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London, as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman ever to hold the centuries-old post.
At 63, Dame Sarah takes over the symbolic headship of the worldwide Anglican Communion following the resignation of Justin Welby, whose departure came amid mounting criticism over failures in safeguarding within the church.
Speaking after her appointment, Dame Sarah declared: “In an age that craves certainty and tribalism, Anglicanism offers something quieter and stronger shaped by prayer and lit from within by the glory of Christ. That is what gives me hope.”
Jungle-Journalist.Com gathered that Mullally, known for her feminist outlook and support for greater inclusivity, had welcomed the 2023 decision to allow blessings for same-sex couples, describing it then as “a moment of hope for the Church.”
The appointment has already provoked strong reactions. GAFCON, the grouping of conservative Anglican churches across Africa and Asia, lashed out at the development, warning that Canterbury had “relinquished its authority to lead” and declaring: “The reset of our beloved Communion is now uniquely in the hands of GAFCON, and we are ready to take the lead.”
For millions of Anglicans across the world, Dame Sarah’s installation in January 2026 will mark not just the end of the Justin Welby era but the beginning of a new chapter—one where the leadership of the English church is, for the first time in its 1,400-year history, in the hands of a woman.
— Jungle-Journalist.Com
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