Dame Sarah Mullally is no stranger to making history, as she becomes the first woman to assume the Church of England’s most senior ministry position as Archbishop of Canterbury.
Her appointment follows a distinguished career marked by several pioneering roles, including England’s youngest chief nursing officer and the first female bishop of London.
She now faces a challenging tenure, navigating ongoing safeguarding scandals, deep divisions over blessings for same-sex couples, and declining church attendance figures that have yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels.
Despite these obstacles, her extensive experience positions her as a widely regarded “safe pair of hands” for the role.
She was ordained in 2001 and left her government post as chief nursing officer at the health department in 2004, taking up a full-time ministry in the London borough of Sutton.
She was made a Dame in 2005 in recognition of her outstanding contribution to nursing and midwifery.
When named bishop of London in 2017, she spoke about her different careers, saying she feels she has “always had one vocation: to follow Jesus Christ”.
She said at the time: “I am often asked what it has been like to have had two careers, first in the NHS and now in the Church.
“I prefer to think that I have always had one vocation: to follow Jesus Christ, to know him and to make him known, always seeking to live with compassion in the service of others, whether as a nurse, a priest, or a bishop."
Her appointment at that time marked a sign of Church progress on women’s roles, having followed Libby Lane, who made history when she was consecrated as the first woman bishop in 2015.
While the Archbishop of Canterbury is automatically granted a seat in the House of Lords, Dame Sarah has had a place there since 2018 as a senior bishop.
She will have a vote on the assisted dying bill for England and Wales that is currently being considered at Westminster.
A strong opponent, she has warned that the bill “fails in its central plank, that it delivers choice”.
She told a debate in the Lords last month that “choice is an illusion” and said she believed “no amendments to this bill that can safeguard us completely from its negative effects”.
Dame Sarah is seen as progressive on the issue of same-sex blessings in the Church – a subject which has seen strongly competing opinions among Church members.
In 2023, after a vote to approve blessings, she described the result as a “moment of hope for the Church” but recognised that differences of opinion remained.
She said: “I know that what we have proposed as a way forward does not go nearly far enough for many but too far for others.”
On her own role in giving blessings, she said she “would have the conversation [with a couple], and there are certainly prayers within that suite [of prayers] that I would use”.
Sarah Mullally becomes first ever female Archbishop of Canterbury
The new Archbishop of Canterbury could be a woman for the first time in history
It’s Bouquet! Comedy star Patricia Routledge captured hearts as TV’s Hyacinth
Terror attack victim suffered gun wound after police tried to shoot killer
Taylor Swift receives mixed reviews for The Life Of A Showgirl
Keeping Up Appearances star Dame Patricia Routledge dies aged 96
