Dame Sarah Mullally becomes the first woman appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, a historic decision hailed by some as progress but condemned by conservative Anglican leaders as deepening divisions over gender and sexuality.
BY FRANCESCA RAPISARDA
The Church of England has appointed Dame Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman in history to take on the role of spiritual leader of both the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion.
In her first public address as Archbishop-designate on Friday, Mullally said: “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.” Her words set a tone of unity, but her appointment has already reignited longstanding tensions within the 85-million-strong Anglican Communion.
The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Gafcon), a network of conservative Anglican churches, particularly across Africa and Asia, received the announcement “with sorrow.” In a statement, the Archbishop of Rwanda and Gafcon chair, the Most Rev. Dr Laurent Mbanda, argued that “the majority of the Anglican Communion still believes that the Bible requires a male-only episcopacy,” and criticized Mullally’s support for blessing same-sex couples, calling it “unbiblical and revisionist.”
The Church of England, often referred to as the “Mother Church” of Anglicanism, has moved in a more liberal direction in recent decades. It first ordained women bishops in 2014 and agreed to bless same-sex relationships in 2023, decisions that have deepened rifts with more conservative provinces. In 2023, Gafcon leaders formally rejected the authority of Mullally’s predecessor, Justin Welby, over the same-sex blessings proposals, fuelling fears of a permanent division.
Reactions to Mullally’s appointment, however, have not been universally negative. The Church of Southern Africa hailed the news as “historic,” while Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Cape Town called it “a thrilling development.” In Kenya, Bishop Emily Onyango, the first woman ordained as bishop in the country, welcomed Mullally’s selection as “a new dawn,” adding that Gafcon’s stance was more about patriarchy than theology.
“She is a humble person who listens, which is what the Church needs,” Onyango told BBC Focus on Africa. “When you have a hardline stance and don’t listen to people, then there are a lot of problems. The new archbishop needs to address peace on the continent. Women and children are suffering, and she needs to work for peace and reconciliation.”
“Nothing is irreparable with God, but it requires repentance. Gafcon has always called for erring church leaders to repent and return to the Bible’s teaching. But until they do so, we cannot walk with them in their apostasy,” said Archbishop Mbanda when asked whether Mullally’s appointment could result in an irreparable rupture.
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