Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally poses for a photo outside St. Paul’s Cathedral in central London following her confirmation service
Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally poses for a photo outside St. Paul’s Cathedral in central London following her confirmation service. Photo: Press Association/AP (28 Jan. 2026)

Sarah Mullally confirmed as 106th archbishop of Canterbury

 — Jan. 28, 202628 janv. 2026
Episcopal News Service

Sarah Mullally was confirmed archbishop of Canterbury Jan. 28 at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, England. She became the first woman to hold the office in its 1,400-year history.

“It is an extraordinary and humbling privilege to have been called to be the 106th archbishop of Canterbury. In this country and around the world, Anglican churches bring healing and hope to their communities,” Mullally said ahead of her confirmation. “With God’s help, I will seek to guide Christ’s flock with calmness, consistency and compassion.”

Leaders in the Church of England and the Anglican Communion gathered at St. Paul’s Cathedral for the Confirmation of Election, a legal ceremony set within a worship service. The service included readings and hymns in English, Xhosa and Portuguese, to reflect the global Anglican Communion. Two of the Anglican Communion members who were on the Crown Nominations Commission for the Archbishop of Canterbury were present at the Confirmation of Election. The Rev. Isaac Beach, from the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, shared a prayer, and Joaquin Philpotts, a lay minister in the Anglican Diocese of Argentina, offered a message of encouragement.

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell gave the Charge. At the end of the Confirmation of Election, Mullally took up the Primatial Cross and gave the blessing in her first act as archbishop of Canterbury.

“I give thanks for Bishop Sarah and the confirmation of her election as the archbishop of Canterbury. As she prepares for her installation and public ministry this March, I assure her of our prayers and support,” the Rt. Rev. Anthony Poggo, secretary general of the Anglican Communion, said before the confirmation. “May God grant the archbishop understanding and discernment as she works to serve the member churches of the Anglican Communion, foster bonds of friendship, and encourage them in sharing the Good News of the Christian faith around the world.”

New York Bishop Matthew Heyd attended the worship service. The Episcopal Diocese of New York has a longstanding companion relationship with the Diocese of London, where Mullally had served as bishop since 2018. Mullally attended Heyd’s installation as bishop of New York in 2024.

“Being part of this communion is God’s call to us … and [Mullally] will help all of us model what it means to be in this relationship with people who have different experiences, different points of view,” Heyd told ENS in a phone interview. “Her ministry in the Diocese of London was powerful, and I know that her leadership will be meaningful to the whole Anglican Communion.”

Mullally will be installed on March 25 at Canterbury Cathedral, where she will preach her first sermon as archbishop. Following the installation, she will begin her public ministry. In the meantime, she will pay homage to King Charles, the supreme governor of the Church of England, and co-preside and give the presidential address at the Church of England’s General Synod in February in London.

“These are times of division and uncertainty for our fractured world. I pray that we will offer space to break bread together and discover what we have in common – and I pledge myself to this ministry of hospitality,” Mullally said before the confirmation.

“I want us to be a church that always listens to the voices of those who have been ignored or overlooked, among them victims and survivors of church abuse who have often been let down,” she said. “I am committed to equipping the church to be a kind and safe place that cares for everyone, especially those who are vulnerable, as we rise to the challenge of God’s call to justice, equity, peace and the care of creation.”

Mullally succeeds former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who stepped down in January 2025 under pressure from a scandal in which he was accused of not appropriately addressing allegations of child abuse by a prominent church member.

Diocese of Derby Bishop Libby Lane, the first woman to be appointed a bishop in the Church of England, served as one of the service’s Royal Commissioners.

“It is an honour to have been invited to undertake this role as part of the Confirmation of Election. I am delighted to support Bishop Sarah as she takes up her new ministry,” she said ahead of the service. “It has been a privilege and pleasure to work with her over many years, and to serve with her now as archbishop. Please join me in praying for Sarah and her family, as she begins her new role, leading the Diocese of Canterbury, Church of England and the Anglican Communion.”

Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe told ENS, “I look forward to working with Archbishop Mullally as she takes up her new role and am especially grateful for her efforts to diversify the church’s leadership and safeguard vulnerable people and victims of abuse. I pray for her strength and fortitude in these weeks of transition.”

The archbishop of Canterbury, as the most senior bishop in the Church of England, is seen as an “instrument of communion” among the 42 autonomous, interdependent provinces that make up the 85-million-member Anglican Communion, all of which, including The Episcopal Church, have historic ties with the Church of England.

As archbishop of Canterbury, Mullally becomes “first among equals” with the primates of the other 41 Anglican provinces, with responsibility for convening the Primates’ Meeting and Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops, two of the four Instruments of Communion.

Posted: Jan. 28, 2026 • Permanent link: ecumenism.net/?p=14788
Categories: ENS • In this article: Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally Transmis : 28 janv. 2026 • Lien permanente : ecumenism.net/?p=14788
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