‘Huge moment’ for Church as Mullally prepares to be enthroned as first female leader, bishop says

Record ID: 2369670

  • Title: ‘Huge moment’ for Church as Mullally prepares to be enthroned as first female leader, bishop says
  • Date: 25th March 2026
  • Summary: GLOUCESTER, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (MARCH 23, 2026) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) BISHOP OF GLOUCESTER, RACHEL TREWEEK, SAYING: "I think it's a huge moment for the church. I mean, it's really tricky, because at one level, we want to say 'it's huge. here is our first female Archbishop.' Little did we think you know, 10 years ago we were struggling, no, not... 12 years
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  • Location: VARIOUS
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  • Country: UK
  • Topics: Europe,Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA002691824032026RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: When Sarah Mullally is enthroned as the Church of England's first female Archbishop of Canterbury on Wednesday (March 25), she will inherit a task that has eluded her predecessors: uniting a divided 85-million-strong global Anglican Communion.
    "It's a huge moment for the Church" Said Bishop Rachel Treweek, who was consecrated alongside Mullally in 2015 among the CoE's first women bishops, told Reuters.
    "I don't think any of us thought we'd have a female Archbishop this quickly," she added. 
    Mullally, 63, will be installed at Canterbury Cathedral before an audience of 2,000 guests, including heir-to-the-throne Prince William, his wife Kate, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
    Her appointment in October drew sharp criticism from a conservative grouping of Anglican churches in mostly African and Asian countries called Gafcon, which this month established a new council in a direct challenge to her leadership.
     "Anyone who became Archbishop of Canterbury, there would always be issues with some parts of the wide Anglican Communion...This isn't new", Treweek said
    While tension between progressive and conservative Christians is not unique to Anglicanism, the Archbishop's role is largely symbolic and dependent on persuasion, unlike the Pope, who wields clear authority over Catholics worldwide.
    Mullally also inherits a Church of England facing decades of declining attendance and working to rebuild trust in its 16,000 parishes after historic safeguarding failures, one of which caused Welby's resignation.
    (Production: Muvija M, Natasha Montague)
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