The Church of England made history on Friday as the Anglican mother church named Sarah Mullally as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, the first-ever woman to hold the 1,400-year-old office. However, her appointment drew criticism from conservative Anglicans mainly based in Africa who oppose women bishops.
It is worth mentioning that the archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury.
Mullally, who will lead 85 million Anglicans worldwide, faces a tough challenge to unite the conservatives, especially in Africa, where homosexuality is outlawed in some countries – and generally more liberal Christians in the West.
GAFCON, a grouping of conservative Anglican churches globally, immediately criticized Mullally’s appointment, saying it showed that the English arm of the Church had “relinquished its authority to lead”.
Sarah Mullally
Mullally, a former nurse, served as England’s Chief Nursing Officer in the early 2000s before being ordained as a priest in 2002. In 2015, she became one of the first women to be consecrated as a bishop in the Church of England.
“There are strong similarities between nursing and priesthood. Both are about people—being present with them during the most challenging moments of their lives,” she once said in an interview.
Mullally is married to Eamonn and has two adult children. She has been a vocal critic of proposed legislation currently moving through the UK Parliament that would legalize assisted dying.
