Sarah Mullally
Dame Sarah Mullally | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop-designate of Canterbury Bishop of London | |
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Church | Church of England |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Diocese | London |
| Elected | 25 January 2018 |
| Installed | 12 May 2018 |
| Predecessor | Richard Chartres |
| Other post(s) |
|
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 2001 (deacon) 2002 (priest) |
| Consecration | 22 July 2015 by Justin Welby |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sarah Elisabeth Bowser 26 March 1962 |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Residence | City of London |
| Spouse |
Eamonn Mullally (m. 1987) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | |
| Signature |  |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Spiritual | |
| Assumed office 10 April 2018 | |
Dame Sarah Elisabeth Mullally (née Bowser; born 26 March 1962) is a British Anglican prelate and former nurse. In October 2025, she was nominated to be the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury. This made her the first woman to be appointed to lead the Church of England in that role.[1]
Early life and education
[change | change source]Mullally was born on 26 March 1962 in Woking, Surrey.[2] She studied at Woking Sixth Form College.[3]
While studying, she decided to become a nurse rather than a doctor because she wanted to apply a holistic approach to patient care.[4]
Ministry career
[change | change source]She has been the Bishop of London since 2018. She is also the Lords Spiritual in the House of Lords. From 1999 to 2004, she was Chief Nursing Officer for England and the National Health Service's director of patient experience for England. From 2015 to 2018, she was Bishop of Crediton, a suffragan bishop in the diocese of Exeter.
In the 2005 New Year Honours, Mullally was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her work to nursing and midwifery.[5][6]
Archbishop of Canterbury
[change | change source]On 3 October 2025, it was announced that Mullally would become the next Archbishop of Canterbury, to replace Justin Welby.[7] She will be the first woman to hold the role.[8] Her election by the College of Canons is set to happen before Christmas.[9]
Personal life
[change | change source]In 1987, she married Eamonn Mullally; the couple have a daughter and a son.[10][11]
Views
[change | change source]Mullally said she was a feminist; she has ordained both men and women.[12] According to the Financial Times, Mullally "is seen as a theological liberal."[13] However, she also supports the inclusion in the Church of England of those who reject the ordination of women.[14]
In September 2016, she became one of ten bishops to make up the church's "Bishops' reflection group on sexuality".[15] In relation to same-sex relationships, she stated in 2017 that "It is a time for us to [think about] our tradition and scripture, and together say how we can offer a response that is about it being inclusive love."[14] When asked about LGBT people in the church, she said that "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."[16]
Mullally has described her views on abortion as favouring abortion rights. She said that if the decision was about herself, she would likely decide against an abortion. She has stated that "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 [giving people a] choice when it related to others."[17]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Communications (2017-12-18). "Next Bishop of London announced". Diocese of London. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
- ↑ Anon (2018). ,. Who's Who. A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.41740.
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- ↑ Leggett, Neal (2019-10-03). "Woking College | Surrey | Bishop of London Visits Woking College". Woking College | Surrey. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
- 1 2 "Interview: Sarah Mullally, Team rector, former Chief Nursing Officer". Church Times. 21 January 2009. Archived from the original on 19 December 2010.
- ↑ "No. 57509". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2004. p. 7.
- ↑ "Cozens made CBE in New Years Honours". Community Care. 4 January 2005. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012.
- ↑ "Appointment of the Archbishop of Canterbury: 3 October 2025". GOV.UK. Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. 3 October 2025. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
- ↑ Maqbool, Aleem; Gribben, Paul (3 October 2025). "Sarah Mullally named as new Archbishop of Canterbury". BBC News. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
- ↑ "The Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally DBE to become 106th Archbishop of Canterbury". Archbishop of Canterbury. Church of England. 3 October 2025. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
- ↑ Cox, Hugo. "The Bishop of London on homelessness and her cathedral digs". The Times. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
- ↑ "Suffragan Bishop of Crediton: Sarah Elisabeth Mullally". Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. GOV.UK. 9 June 2015. Archived from the original on 19 July 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ↑ Hellen, Nicholas (13 May 2018). "New woman bishop goes to war for female vicars". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0956-1382. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ↑ "Sarah Mullally to be first female bishop of London". Financial Times. 18 December 2017. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- 1 2 Williams, Hattie; Wyatt, Tim (18 December 2017). "Sarah Mullally to be the next Bishop of London". Church Times. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ↑ Wyatt, Tim (23 September 2016). "Bishops' group lacks gay voices, say activists". Church Times. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ↑ "First female Bishop of London: God loves gay people". PinkNews. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
- ↑ "Choice". Contemplation in the shadow of a carpark. 9 March 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
Other websites
[change | change source]
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