Sarah Mullally Named as First Female Archbishop of Canterbury
The Church of England has selected Sarah Mullally as the first female leader of the Church of England, with Downing Street announcing the 106th archbishop of Canterbury nearly a year after Welby stepping down amid controversy regarding safeguarding issues.
This is the initial occasion an archbishop of Canterbury has been chosen since the Church of England opened the episcopate to women in 2014.
The top cleric is considered the spiritual leader of the Anglican church all over the world and additionally holds a seat in the House of Lords.
The archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell handled key tasks in the interim, and was one of the voting members of the body charged with choosing the next archbishop.
The selection body had to agree to the new appointment by a two-thirds consensus. Once decided, according to custom, the procedure includes submitting a name to the PM, currently Keir Starmer and then passed to the monarch.
The new archbishop will not formally assume the role until a confirmation of election in January, with an installation ceremony taking place later, after they have paid homage to the king.
