Sarah Mullally takes office as first female Archbishop of Canterbury

Sarah Mullally has been formally confirmed as the Archbishop of Canterbury, three months after her historic appointment as the first woman to hold the position since the Church of England was established nearly 1,400 years ago.

Her confirmation took place on Wednesday during a церemony at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Speaking at the event, Mullally described the appointment as “an extraordinary and humbling privilege.”

“With God’s help, I will seek to guide Christ’s flock with calmness, consistency and compassion,” the new archbishop said, stressing the need for such leadership in these “times of division and uncertainty for our fractured world”.

Mullally’s confirmation service featured global renditions in what was seen as a unifying act for the church’s mixed congregation.

Hymns were sung by the St Paul’s Cathedral choir; a Xhosa South African chant was rendered; and while a student delivered a reading in both English and Portuguese, the majority spoken language in the Anglican provinces of Mozambique and Angola, with which the diocese of London has a pastoral link.

The church had been without a leader for almost a year after Justin Welby resigned over his failure to report a prolific child abuser.

Mullally was announced as Welby’s replacement last October.

The new archbishop previously worked as a nurse in London hospitals, rising to the position of chief nursing officer for England and director of patient experience in the national health service.

She is now the spiritual leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide. Her installation is scheduled for March.

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