The Story Can the new Archbishop of Canterbury save the embattled Church of England?
Jan 26, 2026
Kaya Burgess, religious affairs correspondent at The Times, explains who Sarah Mullally is and why her appointment is historic. Short, sharp accounts cover her nursing-to-bishop journey, safeguarding controversies, personality and public stances. Listens focus on internal church divisions, global backlash risks and the immediate tests awaiting the new leader.
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Historic First Female Archbishop
- Dame Sarah Mullally is the first female Archbishop of Canterbury, marking a major institutional milestone for the Church of England.
- Women have been priests for 30 years and bishops for just over a decade, making this a culmination of long-term change.
Global Anglican Tensions Remain
- Some global parts of the Anglican Communion still reject women in leadership and may resist her appointment.
- Mullally has nonetheless been embraced by large parts of the global Anglican world, limiting immediate rupture.
From Nurse To Bishop
- Mullally was England's youngest chief nursing officer and built a career in cancer nursing before ordination.
- She later left nursing to follow her calling into full-time ministry and rose rapidly through church ranks.