Sarah Mullally Named as First Woman Leader of Canterbury
Dame Sarah Mullally has been appointed as the pioneering woman head of the Church of England, with official sources revealing the top cleric of Canterbury almost twelve months following the departure of Justin Welby over the handling of a safeguarding scandal.
This marks the first time an archbishop of Canterbury has been appointed since the Church of England opened the episcopate to women in 2014.
The top cleric is considered the spiritual leader of the Anglican church globally and they also have a seat in the House of Lords.
The Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York took on most of the responsibilities temporarily, and was a participating elector of the committee tasked with appointing the new leader.
The Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) had to approve the selection by a two-thirds majority vote. Following approval, according to custom, the procedure includes submitting a name to the head of government, Keir Starmer and then passed to the monarch.
She will not officially begin the role until a formal endorsement in January, with an induction rite taking place later, after they have paid homage to the king.
