Prince William and Princess Catherine joined faith leaders at Canterbury Cathedral to see Dame Sarah Mullally be enthroned as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Today’s service, which was attended by around 2,000 people, marked the symbolic start of the ministry of the first female Archbishop in the role’s 1,400-year history.
As she arrived at the cathedral this morning, Dame Sarah told the Press Association she was feeling “absolutely great” ahead of her installation. She said: “Really looking forward to the celebration of the Anglican Communion, the Church of England and the gospel.”
While she was confirmed in post at a St Paul’s Cathedral ceremony in January, today marked the first occasion that she delivered a sermon as the Archbishop of Canterbury.
As she becomes the 106th incumbent of the historic office, particular attention is being paid to the fact that she is the first woman ever to assume the role, and the ceremony reflected that.
In an interview with the BBC ahead of the ceremony, she noted the “significance of being the first female archbishop”, and paid tribute to “the women that have supported me in my ministry, and also the men as well”.
She previously pledged to speak out on misogyny – something she said she had experienced herself and which she insisted must be spoken about “so that you bring it out into the open”.
She said the Church was “seeking to become more trauma-informed, listening to survivors and victims of abuse”, and she added that “light should be shone on all our actions, and the more senior we are, the more light should be shone”.
She also reaffirmed her “commitment to do all I can to ensure that the Church becomes safer and also responds well to victims and survivors of abuse”.
Dame Sarah has replaced Justin Welby in the role, after he announced his resignation in November 2024 over failures in handling an abuse scandal.
The new Archbishop arrived in Canterbury on Sunday following a six-day walking pilgrimage where she aimed to meet people as part of her preparation to take on her new role.
She told the BBC: “Whilst I think I’m just Sarah, people see the Archbishop, so trying to use simple language, you know, listening to them, meeting people, where they are, is really important.”
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