Bishop David Welcomes the Appointment of the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally as the next Archbishop of Canterbury

His Majesty The King has approved the nomination of the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally, as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, Downing Street has announced.

The 106th Archbishop of Canterbury since Saint Augustine arrived in Kent from Rome in 597, Bishop Sarah will be the first woman to hold the office.

She will be installed in a service at Canterbury Cathedral on 25th March 2026.

Responding to the news, the Rt Revd Dr David Walker, Bishop of Manchester said:

“I am delighted that Dame Sarah Mullally is to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury. She is a person of great wisdom and insight, as well as deep Christian faith. It is a particular joy to me that we now have a woman in the office of archbishop, only a decade or so since women became eligible for episcopal posts in England. In the years I have known and worked with Bishop Sarah, I have found her to be a great bishop and an excellent colleague. Please join me in holding her in our prayers as she prepares to take up this most demanding of roles.”

Sarah Mullally has been the Bishop of London since 2018, the first woman to hold that role, and previously served as the Bishop of Crediton in the Diocese of Exeter. Prior to her ordination in 2001, she was the Government’s Chief Nursing Officer for England – the youngest person ever to be appointed to that role at the age of 37 – having previously specialised as a cancer nurse. Bishop Sarah has described nursing as “an opportunity to reflect the love of God”.

The Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) for Canterbury nominated Bishop Sarah following a process of public consultation and prayerful discernment that began in February this year. The Canterbury CNC was made up of representatives from across the Church of England, global Anglican Communion and the Diocese of Canterbury.