Church of England gets its first female leader

Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally’s predecessor resigned amid criticism of his handling of a serial sexual abuse cover-up

The Church of England has enthroned Dame Sarah Mullally as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury since the church’s establishment in 1534.

The ceremony took place in Canterbury Cathedral on Wednesday, and was attended by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as well as Prince William and his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales.

In her speech, Mullally, a former NHS nurse, promised to stand up for victims of historical abuse, and to focus on safeguarding and accountability.

“We must not overlook or minimize the pain experienced by those who have been harmed through the actions, inactions and failures of those in our own Christian churches and communities,” she said.

The new Archbishop’s predecessor, Justin Welby, resigned following mounting criticism of his handling of a cover-up of serial sexual abuse by influential barrister John Smyth within the church in the UK and Africa throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

READ MORE: England’s top Archbishop resigns over sex abuse scandal

Mullally herself has come under media criticism recently, after what some saw as her failure to take a strong enough stance against a parliamentary bill seeking to decriminalize the act of seeking a late-stage abortion in the UK. Currently, women in Britain can seek an abortion up to 24 weeks into pregnancy, with some exceptions.

Read more

“I do not think that women who act in relation to their own pregnancies should be prosecuted, but I also do not wish to see any increase in later abortions,” Mullally said in the House of Lords last week. She stressed that she would not support the amendment pertaining to abortion.

The bill is currently being deliberated by the upper chamber of British Parliament. While the Archbishops of Canterbury are less politically influential than they were historically, they have a seat in the House of Lords along with other senior bishops and are involved in passing legislation.