The King is technically the head of the Church of England, but the Archbishop of Canterbury is the most senior bishop and the spiritual leader of the Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion. The newly-confirmed archbishop said in an interview this week that she has had “encouraging” conversations with the King and that he is a “great supporter” of the institution.
There was no royal representation at today’s service as Dame Sarah legally took up her post, but it is expected that someone from the Royal Family will attend her Canterbury Cathedral enthronement in March.
She will also pay homage to the King at an in-person meeting between now and then.
Dame Sarah said during her interview: “He [King Charles] is a great supporter of the Church of England, and, you know, we share the desire to see a Church that is confident and one that speaks to the Christian hope, and certainly that’s what I hope to be doing.”
Asked if he had expressed his thoughts on the direction of the Church, she said: “I think the King was keen to hear from me about my vision for the Church in the same way as a lot of people have.
“Therefore, I shared with the King that I hope to be the shepherd, to care for people in their parishes, for our clergy, to support them, to enable them to do what they can do, but also to speak of the Christian hope, not just within the Church and the Anglican Communion, but also into the world and providing hospitality at a time where there’s a lot of challenges for people. So, places where people of difference can come together.”
Today, a heckler briefly interrupted Wednesday’s proceedings and was escorted from the cathedral – although it was not immediately clear what he said.
A spokesperson for the cathedral said the protester had been asked to leave, and “left peacefully after a short time”.
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