His Majesty The King has approved the nomination of the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally, as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, Downing Street has announced.
The 106th Archbishop of Canterbury since Saint Augustine arrived in Kent from Rome in 597, Bishop Sarah will be the first woman to hold the office.
She will be installed in a service at Canterbury Cathedral in March 2026.
Sarah Mullally has been the Bishop of London since 2018, the first woman appointed to that role, and before that was Bishop of Crediton in the Diocese of Exeter. Prior to her ordination in 2001, she was the Government’s Chief Nursing Officer for England – the youngest person ever to be appointed to that role at the age of 37 – having previously specialised as a cancer nurse. Bishop Sarah has described nursing as “an opportunity to reflect the love of God”.
The Rt Revd David Williams, Bishop of Truro, and the Rt Revd Hugh Nelson, Bishop of St Germans and Bishop to the Armed Forces:
“We are delighted at the news of the appointment of The Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally DBE as Archbishop of Canterbury. We are grateful for her faithful response to being called into this role and she can be assured of our prayers not just today but every day of her ministry.”
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