Historic first: Church of England names woman archbishop; conservatives push back

LONDON: For the archetypal clip successful the Church of England’s 491-year history, a pistillate has been appointed to pb it.On Friday Downing Street announced that Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally, 63, who became a Christian aged 16, would beryllium the successor to Justin Welby who resigned successful Jan implicit his handling of a kid enactment maltreatment scandal.Currently known arsenic the Archbishop of Canterbury-designate, she volition legally go the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury astatine her confirmation of predetermination astatine St Paul’s Cathedral successful Jan 2026, with a work of installation taking spot astatine Canterbury Cathedral successful March 2026.Mullally has been Bishop of London since 2018, the archetypal pistillate appointed to that relation too. Prior to her ordination successful 2001, she was main nursing serviceman for England — the youngest idiosyncratic ever to beryllium appointed to that relation astatine the property of 37 — having antecedently specialised arsenic a crab nurse.The Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) for Canterbury nominated Mullaly pursuing a process of nationalist consultation and prayerful discernment that began successful Feb. The CNC was made up of representatives from the Church of England, planetary Anglican Communion and the Diocese of Canterbury.The astir elder bishop successful the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s ministry combines galore roles, including serving arsenic primus inter pares — oregon archetypal among equals — of the Primates of the planetary Anglican Communion, which consists of astir 85 cardinal people, crossed 165 countries, including India.

The Archbishop of Canterbury besides sits successful the House of Lords.Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, commended the assignment and called connected the Roman Catholic Church to travel suit. Quoting Hindu scriptures, helium said: “ Where women are honoured, determination the Gods are pleased.”But Gafcon, a question of Conservative planetary Anglicans, which is opposed to the ordination of women to beatified orders, said it did not judge Mullaly arsenic leader. “Since the recently appointed Archbishop of Canterbury has failed to defender the religion and is complicit successful introducing practices and beliefs that interruption some the plain and canonical consciousness of Scripture and the Church’s historical and consensual mentation of it, she cannot supply enactment to the Anglican Communion,” said Dr Laurent Mbanda, chairman, Gafcon Primates Council.

“The bulk of the Anglican Communion inactive believes that the Bible requires a male-only episcopacy.”