Dame Sarah Mullally | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Canterbury | |
.jpg) Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Church | Church of England |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Diocese | Canterbury |
| Elected | 28 January 2026 |
| Predecessor | Justin Welby |
| Previous posts |
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| Orders | |
| Ordination | 2001 (deacon) 2002 (priest) |
| Consecration | 22 July 2015 by Justin Welby |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sarah Elisabeth Bowser (1962-03-26)26 March 1962 (age 63) |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Residence | City of London |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | |
| Signature |  |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| Assumed office 24 May 2018 | |
Dame Sarah Elisabeth Mullally (née Bowser; born 26 March 1962) is anAnglican bishop and formernurse who has served as the 106tharchbishop of Canterbury since 28 January 2026. As archbishop, she is the leader of theChurch of England and ceremonial head of theAnglican Communion. By virtue of her office she is also alord spiritual, one of the 26 Church of England bishops who sit in theHouse of Lords of theParliament of the United Kingdom.
Born inWoking, Surrey, Mullally received clinical training in nursing fromSt Thomas' Hospital. She practised nursing primarily inSouth London, where she also began her study for ministry in the Church of England. In 1999 she becamechief nursing officer anddirector ofpatient experience for theEnglish National Health Service. She left these roles in 2004 to pursue full-time ministry. For her service in nursing, Mullally was appointedDame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2005.
Mullally was ordained a priest in 2002 and began her ministry in thediocese of Southwark. She served in various London churches, and in 2012 became acanon ofSalisbury Cathedral. In 2015, she was consecrated asbishop of Crediton, asuffragan bishop in thediocese of Exeter, and in 2018translated to thediocese of London, becoming the first femalebishop of London.
Sarah Elisabeth Bowser was born inWoking, Surrey, on 26 March 1962,[1] and has two sisters and one brother.[2] She was educated atWinston Churchill Comprehensive School and then atWoking Sixth Form College.[3]
While studying forA-levels she decided to become a nurse rather than a doctor because she wanted to apply aholistic approach to patient care.[4] Her choice of career was also motivated by her Christian faith, which she has held since the age of 16.[4] In 1980, she began reading for a nursing degree atSouth Bank Polytechnic,[5] with clinical placements atSt Thomas' Hospital, and was awarded jointRegistered General Nurse (RGN) status and aBachelor of Science (BSc) degree in 1984.[1] In 1992, she completed aMaster of Science (MSc) degree in inter-professional health and welfare studies atLondon South Bank University.[1]
Mullally held clinical nursing posts atSt Thomas' Hospital andthe Royal Marsden Hospital.[6] She held several nursing leadership roles, firstly at the formerWestminster Hospital (where she was award sister and head of practice development) and then as director of nursing at theChelsea and Westminster Hospital.[2] In 1999, she was appointed aschief nursing officer anddirector ofpatient experience for England: she was the youngest person to hold these positions.[7] She was a non-executive director of the English Board of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting.[8][9]
In the2005 New Year Honours, Mullally was appointedDame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in recognition for her contribution tonursing andmidwifery.[10] Mullally served as an independent governor forLondon South Bank University between 2005 and 2015, where she became vice-chairperson of the board of governors and chairwoman of the policy and resources committee.[11] She was a non-executive director ofthe Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust from 2005 to 2012,[4][12] and held a non-executive role at Salisbury NHS Foundation between 2012 and 2016.[13] Mullally became a lay member of the council ofKing's College London in 2016.[14]
From 1998 to 2001, Mullally trained forordained ministry on a part-time basis at the South East Institute of Theological Education (nowSt Augustine's College of Theology).[15][16] During this time, she also studiedtheology at theUniversity of Kent, receiving aDiploma in Theology (DipTh) in 2001.[1] She wasordained in theChurch of England; made adeacon atMichaelmas 2001 (30 September) atSouthwark Cathedral;[17] and ordained apriest the following Michaelmas (5 October 2002) atHoly Trinity, Clapham – both times byTom Butler,Bishop of Southwark.[18] From 2001 to 2004, she served hercuracy as anon-stipendiary minister at theparish ofBattersea Fields in theDiocese of Southwark.[1][15]
In 2004, Mullally left her position as chief nursing officer to pursue full-time Church of England ministry.[19] She then served as an assistant curate at St Saviour's Church, Battersea Fields from 2004 to 2006.[1][20] She graduated with aMaster of Arts (MA) degree inpastoral theology fromHeythrop College, University of London in 2006.[1] In 2006, she became theteam rector of Sutton team ministry atSt Nicholas Church, Sutton, London.[15] In addition to her parish work, she taught ethics in the Diocese of Southwark, was involved in an Anglican clergy leadership programme and sat on the Church of England's dioceses commission. From 2012 to 2015, she served ascanon treasurer ofSalisbury Cathedral in thediocese of Salisbury.[15][21]
In June 2015, it was announced that Mullally would be the nextbishop of Crediton, asuffragan bishop in thediocese of Exeter.[22] On 22 July 2015, she wasconsecrated abishop byArchbishopJustin Welby atCanterbury Cathedral.[23] She andRachel Treweek were the first women to be consecrated as bishops at Canterbury Cathedral.[24] In September 2015, she became the first woman in the Church of England to lead an ordination service, ordaining two deacons, Leisa McGovern and Sheila Walker, as priests atSt Mary's Church,Ottery St Mary, Devon.[25]
On 18 December 2017, it was announced that Mullally would be the nextbishop of London, succeedingRichard Chartres who had retired in February 2017.[26] The bishop of London is the third most senior bishop in the Church of England, after thearchbishops ofCanterbury andYork.[27] Between her confirmation and her installation, she was licensed as anhonorary assistant bishop in the Diocese of Exeter so that she was able to carry out engagements related to her former see.[28] She was dulyelected to thesee by the college of canons ofSt Paul's Cathedral on 25 January 2018, becoming bishop-elect.[29] She wastranslated and took full legal possession of the see at theconfirmation of her election—on 8 March atSt Mary-le-Bow – and assumed full duties upon her installation at St Paul's Cathedral on 12 May.[30] On 15 July 2020, she acted asprincipal consecrator at the consecration ofHugh Nelson andRuth Bushyager to the episcopate: this was a break in tradition, thearchbishop of Canterbury usually taking this role, and was the first time a female bishop had led a consecration service in the Church of England.[31]
Sworn of thePrivy Council of the United Kingdom on 14 March 2018,[32] Mullally wasintroduced to the House of Lords to sit on thelords spiritualbenches[6] on 24 May 2018.[33] She sat by virtue of her office (the bishop of London is one of five Church of England bishops who automatically receives a Lords seat, independent of seniority).
She succeededRichard Chartres and became the first femaledean of the Chapel Royal on 12 July 2019.[34][35] Mullally played a leading role in the2023 coronation, one of three female prelates involved in the ceremonies.[36]
On 3 October 2025, the Church of England announced that Mullally would become the nextarchbishop of Canterbury, in succession toJustin Welby. As such, she isPrimate of All England and themetropolitan bishop of theProvince of Canterbury.[37] She is the first woman to hold the post,[38] and only the second since theMiddle Ages to hold the office without a degree from Oxford or Cambridge universities.[39] Mullally was elected by the college of canons in December,[40] and her election was legallyconfirmed atSt Paul's Cathedral on 28 January 2026, at which point she became Archbishop of Canterbury and ceased to be Bishop of London. Mullally was re-introduced to the Lords in her new role as Archbishop of Canterbury on 5 February 2026.[41] She will be formally installed atCanterbury Cathedral on 25 March, marking the beginning of her public ministry in the role.[42][43]
Her appointment drew opposition from conservative Anglican groups. Within the Church of England, the conservative evangelicalChurch Society stated that her election "creates additional problems of disunity in the Church in England and around the world" and voiced concern relating to her views on same-sex relationships,[44] while the traditionalist Anglo-CatholicForward in Faith organisation, which rejects the ordination of women as priests and bishops, recognised her as the "true and lawful holder of that office".[45] Some Anglican churches, particularly in Africa, opposed her due to their opposition to the ordination of women and to Mullally's views on the blessing of same-sex couples. TheGlobal Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Gafcon), a conservative Anglican group mostly based in Africa and Asia, expressed its "sorrow" at Mullally's appointment, saying that it proved that the Church of England "has relinquished its authority to lead".[46][47] TheChurch of Uganda'sStephen Kaziimba stated his "sadness" on Mullally's appointment due to "her support and advocacy for unbiblical positions on sexuality and same-sex marriage that reveal her departure from the historic Anglican positions that uphold the authority of Scripture for faith and life".[48][49] However, other Anglican groups in Africa have supported her;Emily Onyango, the first female Anglican bishop inKenya, said that Mullally's election indicated that "things will be done differently ... We know there will be justice in the church".[50]Thabo Makgoba, the archbishop of Cape Town, said that Mullally's election was a "thrilling development".[50]
Mullally is a self-describedfeminist and has ordained both men and women.[51] According to theFinancial Times, Mullally "is seen as a theologicalliberal".[52] However, she also supports the inclusion in the Church of England of those who reject theordination of women, stating upon her announcement as the next bishop of London: "I am very respectful of those who, for theological reasons, cannot accept my role as a priest or a bishop. My belief is that Church diversity throughout London should flourish and grow; everybody should be able to find a spiritual home."[53]
In September 2016, she became one of ten bishops to make up the church's "Bishops' reflection group on sexuality".[54] In relation to same-sex relationships, she stated in 2017: "It is a time for us to reflect on our tradition and scripture, and together say how we can offer a response that is about it being inclusive love."[53] When asked about LGBT people in the church, she further said: "What we have to remember is this is about people, and the church seeks to demonstrate love to all, because it reflects the God of love, who loves everybody."[55]
In 2018, Mullally stated that she supported the Church of England's traditional teaching on marriage being between one man and one woman.[53][56] In 2022, Mullally supported the observance ofLGBT+ history month and the launch of an advisory group aimed at advising the diocese on "pastoral care and inclusion of LGBT+ people in the life of our church communities".[57] Previously, Mullally has described her views onabortion as favouringabortion rights, although she would lean against abortion faced with her own decision. She has said: "I would suspect that I would describe my approach to this issue as pro-choice rather than pro-life although if it were a continuum I would be somewhere along it moving towards pro-life when it relates to my choice and then enabling choice when it related to others."[58] In June 2025, Mullally opposed new legislation that would extend abortion rights by decriminalising terminations in utero up to full term. Mullally acknowledged, but did not sign, an open letter from Anglican clergy that called the bill a "dangerous change" to the law.[59]
In 1987, she married Eamonn Mullally, anIT andenterprise architect;[60] the couple have a daughter and a son and live in theCity of London.[61][62][63] Following her appointment asBishop of London, Mullally moved into theOld Deanery of St Paul's. Mullally hasdyslexia and has said she finds it difficult to read outbiblical genealogies.[4]
In the2005 New Year Honours, Mullally was appointedDame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in recognition for her contribution tonursing andmidwifery.[10][64] However, it is her choice as to whether she is referred to as "Dame Sarah" and thehonorific was often omitted when announcing her as the next bishop of London in 2017.[26][6][53][65][66][67]
The academic honours that Mullally has received include election as afellow ofLondon South Bank University in 2001,[68] and a fellow ofCanterbury Christ Church University in 2006.[69] She has receivedhonorary doctorates fromBournemouth University (2004), theUniversity of Wolverhampton (2004), theUniversity of Hertfordshire (2005),[70] theUniversity of Exeter (2019),[71] and theUniversity of Plymouth (2021).
| Church of England titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Bishop of Crediton 2015–2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Bishop of London 2018–2026 | Vacant |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of Canterbury 2026–present | Incumbent |
| Order of precedence inEngland and Wales and in Northern Ireland | ||
| Preceded by | Ladies as Archbishop of Canterbury | Succeeded byasLady Chief Justice of England and Wales |
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