Sarah Mullally must be more than Canterbury’s first female Archbishop

Over 14 centuries after Saint Augustine was consecrated in 597 AD, Canterbury now has its first female archbishop. The appointment of Dame Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury was announced earlier this month, marking a significant moment in the Church of England’s recent history.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of the media coverage has focused on the “historic first” of a female archbishop, and to a certain extent, Mullally’s appointment ought to be celebrated for this fact. It is a sign of the Church of England’s progress that the ultimate stained glass ceiling has been shattered so quickly – it was only in 2014 that women were allowed to become bishops for the first time, yet now they make up over half of ordinations. That the selection of a female Archbishop of Canterbury was not a great surprise is to the credit of the Church of England. Other Christian denominations and indeed religions ought to use this moment to reflect on the role of women within their own churches.

Regrettably, that does not appear to have been the view of The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Gafcon), a group of conservative churches in Africa and Asia, who reacted to the news with “sorrow”. Their discontent with Mullally’s appointment stems from two key grievances: her gender and her “unbiblical” teachings, referring to Mullally’s reputation as a “theological liberal” who has previously described herself as “pro-choice” and supportive of blessings for same-sex couples (although Mullally does not support same-sex marriage, whilst also being a “vociferous opponent” of assisted dying).

This unease only exacerbates the need for Mullally to serve as a unifying, pastoral figure in a Church with such diversity of thought, and she has already signalled her intention to fulfil this role

To Gafcon, these views are wholly unacceptable. Henry Ndukuba, the primate of the Church of Nigeria, went a step further, describing the appointment as “further confirmation that the global Anglican world could no longer accept the leadership of the Church of England and that of the Archbishop of Canterbury”, who has long been considered the global leader of Anglicanism.

Ndukuba’s views do highlight a growing concern for many within the global Anglican community that the increasingly liberal views of those in the West differ so greatly from the conservative views of Gafcon and like-minded churches that they may become irreconcilable, even to the point of a formal split.

Issues with Mullally’s appointment may be more pronounced outside of England. Still, they are by no means exclusively an overseas issue – around 5% of Church of England parishes object to female priests, let alone archbishops, leading to the extraordinary situation where the Archbishop of Canterbury cannot preside over Communion at nearly 600 Church of England parish churches.

This unease only exacerbates the need for Mullally to serve as a unifying, pastoral figure in a church with such diversity of thought, and she has already signalled her intention to fulfil this role, pledging to be “a shepherd who enables everyone’s ministry and vocation to flourish”. In this regard, Mullally’s experience as Bishop of London, a position she has held since 2018, may prove invaluable. London is generally accepted to be the most “polarised” diocese ideologically within the Church of England, yet Mullally has been proven to be “the ultimate safe pair of hands”, capable of being a respected figure in the diocese despite promising to be “necessarily subversive” when first appointed.

Talk has been growing of a “quiet revival” amongst young people, leading some to label Generation Z (1997-2012) the ‘spiritual generation’

It was notable, however, that Mullally made minimal reference to her gender or personal beliefs when addressing the media for the first time as Archbishop-designate on Friday. Although she referenced the support and inspiration of the women who have gone before her, Mullally instead chose to focus on the task facing her in her new role, and rightly so. In doing so, she took the first step in what will be a challenging but necessary battle to reframe the narrative away from her gender and towards the pressing issues facing her as the Church of England’s spiritual leader.

After all, leading the Church of England and global Anglican community will be Mullally’s primary mission, and she takes over at a time when organised Christianity faces perhaps its biggest challenge in centuries. The 2021 census marked the first time less than half the UK population identified as Christian, continuing a long-term trend going back decades.

This decline is also evident in church attendance figures, with attendance at Anglican churches falling by over a third since 2000. For many Christians and key figures in the Church of England, such as Guli Francis-Dehqani, the bishop of Chelmsford, Mullally’s top priority should be to tackle this “existential threat” to the Church.

Yet in recent times, talk has been growing of a “quiet revival” amongst young people, leading some to label Generation Z (1997-2012) the ‘spiritual generation’. Indeed, an analysis of YouGov polling conducted by the Bible Society concluded that regular church attendance (meaning at least once per month) had increased by 56% between 2018 and 2024.

Mullally’s appointment comes at a challenging time. Her predecessor, Justin Welby, was forced to resign last year following a safeguarding scandal, the latest in a long line of pastoral care failures that have plagued the Church in recent years

However, these numbers do not make for as pleasant a reading for the Church of England as one might think. The overall share of churchgoers who were Anglican decreased from 41% to 34%, whilst only 20% of adult churchgoers under the age of 35 were Anglican – for reference, the Catholic figure is double. Evidently, then, there is much work to be done if the Church of England is to prevent a further decline in attendances and believers within its own denomination.

Mullally’s appointment comes at a challenging time. Her predecessor, Justin Welby, was forced to resign last year following a safeguarding scandal, the latest in a long line of pastoral care failures that have plagued the Church in recent years. Following the Church’s rejection of a fully independent safeguarding body earlier this year, it is of the utmost importance that Mullally works to urgently restore trust and deliver meaningful evidence that the Church is taking steps to prevent what Mullally herself describes as the “misuse of power” that has plagued it for decades.

Mullally, in her capacity as Bishop of London, is no stranger to safeguarding controversy herself. In 2022, she issued an apology on behalf of the diocese for “mistakes” which contributed to the suicide of Friar Alan Griffin over false allegations in 2020, following a report which found a “lack of planning, direction and leadership”. Although the report made no direct personal criticism of Mullally, she has attracted criticism from some who feel it implicitly lays responsibility at her feet. Perhaps most notably, Channel 4 journalist Cathy Newman has criticised the decision to deny her an interview with the new archbishop, going on to claim the reaction of abuse survivors to her appointment is one of “dismay”.

Sarah Mullally’s legacy is that she is the first female Archbishop of Canterbury. She will hope that, by the time she steps down in six years, she will have restored trust in the Church of England

To Mullally’s credit, however, she used a February Church Times column this year to advocate for reform, blaming “wider, structural problems within the Church of England” for the “safeguarding crisis” and calling for independent safeguarding and the mandatory reporting of safeguarding concerns, whilst her “insistence on greater accountability” also led to the departure of Martin Sargeant, who was later convicted of fraud in 2022. By her rhetoric and actions as Bishop of London, Mullally certainly appears a strong figure to tackle the safeguarding issues within the Church of England. One hopes she is able to match her words with her actions in her time as archbishop.

Sarah Mullally’s tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury may not officially start until January, but the challenges have already begun for the 64-year-old. Aside from the inevitable questions and concerns around her gender, the incoming archbishop inherits a church in ideological flux, facing a steep decline in participation and tarred by numerous safeguarding failings. As of today, Sarah Mullally’s legacy is that she is the first female Archbishop of Canterbury. She will hope that, by the time she steps down in six years, she will have restored trust in the Church of England and set it on a path of hope and renewal.