Sarah Mullally makes historical past as first feminine archbishop of Canterbury

[ad_1] LONDON (AP) — Sarah Mullally was confirmed as archbishop of Canterbury on Wednesday, changing into the primary girl to guide the Church of England.

The worldwide Anglican Communion, which incorporates the Episcopal Church within the U.S., has no formal head, however the archbishop historically has been seen as its non secular chief.

Mullally, 63, a most cancers nurse turned cleric, formally took up the duties of her new job as judges presided over a authorized ceremony confirming her appointment, which was introduced virtually 4 months in the past.

The so-called Affirmation of Election service marks a serious milestone for the Church of England, which ordained its first feminine monks in 1994 and its first female bishop in 2015. The church traces its roots to the sixteenth century when the English church broke away from the Roman Catholic Church through the reign of King Henry VIII.

George Gross, an professional on theology and the monarchy at King’s School London, highlighted the church’s persevering with divergence from the Catholic Church, which forbids girls from being ordained as monks, a lot much less as serving as the faith’s international non secular chief.

“It's a large distinction,” Gross stated. “And by way of the place of girls in society, it is a large assertion.”

However Mullally’s appointment could deepen rifts throughout the Anglican Communion, whose 100 million members in 165 international locations are deeply divided over points such because the position of girls and the remedy of LGBTQ folks.

She may also should confront issues that the Church of England hasn’t completed sufficient to stamp out the sexual abuse scandals which have dogged it for greater than a decade.

Gafcon, a world group of conservative Anglicans, says Mullally’s appointment is divisive as a result of a majority of the Anglican Communion nonetheless believes solely males ought to be bishops.

Rwandan Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, chairman of the Gafcon council of senior bishops, often known as primates, additionally criticized Mullally’s help for the blessing of same-sex marriages.

“For the reason that newly appointed archbishop of Canterbury has failed to protect the religion and is complicit in introducing practices and beliefs that violate each the ‘plain and canonical sense’ of Scripture and `the Church’s historic and consensual’ interpretation of it, she can't present management to the Anglican Communion,” Mbanda stated in October.

Mullally replaces former Archbishop Justin Welby, who announced his resignation in November 2024, after he was criticized for failing to inform police about allegations of bodily and sexual abuse by a volunteer at a church-affiliated summer time camp.

She was nominated by a 17-member fee composed of clerics and lay folks and her appointment was confirmed by King Charles III, who's the supreme governor of the church.

However there may be nonetheless yet another step within the lengthy technique of appointing the brand new archbishop.

On March 25 at Canterbury Cathedral, Mullally might be formally put in as bishop of the diocese of Canterbury in a ceremony marking the start of her new position. After that, her public-facing ministry begins.

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