Sarah Mullally
Dame Sarah Elisabeth Mullally is an Anglican bishop and former nurse who has served as the 106th archbishop of Canterbury since 28 January 2026. As archbishop, she is the leader of the Church of England and ceremonial head of the Anglican Communion. By virtue of her office she is also a lord spiritual, one of the 26 Church of England bishops who sit in the House of Lords of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Born in Woking, Surrey, Mullally received clinical training in nursing from St Thomas' Hospital. She practised nursing primarily in South London, where she also began her study for ministry in the Church of England. In 1999 she became chief nursing officer and director of patient experience for the English National Health Service. She left these roles in 2004 to pursue full-time ministry. For her service in nursing, Mullally was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2005.
Mullally was ordained a priest in 2002 and began her ministry in the diocese of Southwark. She served in various London churches, and in 2012 became a canon of Salisbury Cathedral. In 2015, she was consecrated as bishop of Crediton, a suffragan bishop in the diocese of Exeter, and in 2018 translated to the diocese of London, becoming the first female bishop of London.
Early life and education
Sarah Elisabeth Bowser was born in Woking, Surrey, on 26 March 1962, and has two sisters and one brother. She was educated at Winston Churchill Comprehensive School and then at Woking Sixth Form College.While studying for A-levels she decided to become a nurse rather than a doctor because she wanted to apply a holistic approach to patient care. Her choice of career was also motivated by her Christian faith, which she has held since the age of 16. In 1980, she began reading for a nursing degree at South Bank Polytechnic, with clinical placements at St Thomas' Hospital, and was awarded joint Registered General Nurse status and a Bachelor of Science degree in 1984. In 1992, she completed a Master of Science degree in inter-professional health and welfare studies at London South Bank University.
Nursing career
Mullally held clinical nursing posts at St Thomas' Hospital and the Royal Marsden Hospital. She held several nursing leadership roles, firstly at the former Westminster Hospital and then as director of nursing at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. In 1999, she was appointed as chief nursing officer and director of patient experience for NHS England: she was the youngest person to hold these positions. She was a non-executive director of the English Board of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting.In the 2005 New Year Honours, Mullally was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in recognition for her contribution to nursing and midwifery. Mullally served as an independent governor for London South Bank University between 2005 and 2015, where she became vice-chairperson of the board of governors and chairwoman of the policy and resources committee. She was a non-executive director of the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust from 2005 to 2012, and held a non-executive role at Salisbury NHS Foundation between 2012 and 2016. Mullally became a lay member of the council of King's College London in 2016.
Ordained ministry
From 1998 to 2001, Mullally trained for ordained ministry on a part-time basis at the South East Institute of Theological Education. During this time, she also studied theology at the University of Kent, receiving a Diploma in Theology in 2001. She was ordained in the Church of England; made a deacon at Michaelmas 2001 at Southwark Cathedral; and ordained a priest the following Michaelmas at Holy Trinity, Claphamboth times by Tom Butler, Bishop of Southwark. From 2001 to 2004, she served her curacy as a non-stipendiary minister at the parish of Battersea Fields in the Diocese of Southwark.In 2004, Mullally left her position as chief nursing officer to pursue full-time Church of England ministry. She then served as an assistant curate at St Saviour's Church, Battersea Fields from 2004 to 2006. She graduated with a Master of Arts degree in pastoral theology from Heythrop College, University of London in 2006. In 2006, she became the team rector of Sutton team ministry at St Nicholas Church, Sutton, London. In addition to her parish work, she taught ethics in the Diocese of Southwark, was involved in an Anglican clergy leadership programme and sat on the Church of England's dioceses commission. From 2012 to 2015, she served as canon treasurer of Salisbury Cathedral in the diocese of Salisbury.
Episcopal ministry
In June 2015, it was announced that Mullally would be the next bishop of Crediton, a suffragan bishop in the diocese of Exeter. On 22 July 2015, she was consecrated a bishop by Archbishop Justin Welby at Canterbury Cathedral. She and Rachel Treweek were the first women to be consecrated as bishops at Canterbury Cathedral. In September 2015, she became the first woman in the Church of England to lead an ordination service, ordaining two deacons, Leisa McGovern and Sheila Walker, as priests at St Mary's Church, Ottery St Mary, Devon.On 18 December 2017, it was announced that Mullally would be the next bishop of London, succeeding Richard Chartres who had retired in February 2017. The bishop of London is the third most senior bishop in the Church of England, after the archbishops of Canterbury and York. Between her confirmation and her installation, she was licensed as an honorary assistant bishop in the Diocese of Exeter so that she was able to carry out engagements related to her former see. She was duly elected to the see by the college of canons of St Paul's Cathedral on 25 January 2018, becoming bishop-elect. She was translated and took full legal possession of the see at the confirmation of her election—on 8 March at St Mary-le-Bowand assumed full duties upon her installation at St Paul's Cathedral on 12 May. On 15 July 2020, she acted as principal consecrator at the consecration of Hugh Nelson and Ruth Bushyager to the episcopate: this was a break in tradition, the archbishop of Canterbury usually taking this role, and was the first time a female bishop had led a consecration service in the Church of England.
Sworn of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom on 14 March 2018, Mullally was introduced to the House of Lords to sit on the lords spiritual benches on 24 May 2018. She sits by virtue of her office.
She succeeded Richard Chartres and became the first female dean of the Chapel Royal on 12 July 2019. Mullally played a leading role in the 2023 coronation, one of three female prelates involved in the ceremonies.
Archbishop of Canterbury
On 3 October 2025, the Church of England announced that Mullally would become the next archbishop of Canterbury, in succession to Justin Welby. As such, she is Primate of All England and the metropolitan bishop of the Province of Canterbury. She is the first woman to hold the post, and only the second since the Middle Ages to hold the office without a degree from Oxford or Cambridge universities. Mullally was elected by the college of canons in December, and her election was legally confirmed at St Paul's Cathedral on 28 January 2026, at which point she became Archbishop of Canterbury and ceased to be Bishop of London. She will be formally installed at Canterbury Cathedral on 25 March, marking the beginning of her public ministry in the role.Her appointment drew opposition from conservative Anglican groups. Within the Church of England, the conservative evangelical Church Society stated that her election "creates additional problems of disunity in the Church in England and around the world" and voiced concern relating to her views on same-sex relationships, while the traditionalist Anglo-Catholic Forward in Faith organisation, which rejects the ordination of women as priests and bishops, recognised her as the "true and lawful holder of that office". Some Anglican churches, particularly in Africa, opposed her due to their opposition to the ordination of women and to Mullally's views on the blessing of same-sex couples. The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, a conservative Anglican group mostly based in Africa and Asia, expressed its "sorrow" at Mullally's appointment, saying that it proved that the Church of England "has relinquished its authority to lead". The Church of Uganda's Stephen Kaziimba stated his "sadness" on Mullally's appointment due to "her support and advocacy for unbiblical positions on sexuality and same-sex marriage that reveal her departure from the historic Anglican positions that uphold the authority of Scripture for faith and life". However, other Anglican groups in Africa have supported her; Emily Onyango, the first female Anglican bishop in Kenya, said that Mullally's election indicated that "things will be done differently... We know there will be justice in the church". Thabo Makgoba, the archbishop of Cape Town, said that Mullally's election was a "thrilling development".
Views
Mullally is a self-described feminist and has ordained both men and women. According to the Financial Times, Mullally "is seen as a theological liberal". However, she also supports the inclusion in the Church of England of those who reject the ordination of women, stating upon her announcement as the next bishop of London: "I am very respectful of those who, for theological reasons, cannot accept my role as a priest or a bishop. My belief is that Church diversity throughout London should flourish and grow; everybody should be able to find a spiritual home."In September 2016, she became one of ten bishops to make up the church's "Bishops' reflection group on sexuality". In relation to same-sex relationships, she stated in 2017: "It is a time for us to reflect on our tradition and scripture, and together say how we can offer a response that is about it being inclusive love." When asked about LGBT people in the church, she further said: "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."
In 2018, Mullally stated that she supported the Church of England's traditional teaching on marriage being between one man and one woman. In 2022, Mullally supported the observance of LGBT+ history month and the launch of an advisory group aimed at advising the diocese on "pastoral care and inclusion of LGBT+ people in the life of our church communities". Previously, Mullally has described her views on abortion as favouring abortion rights, although she would lean against abortion faced with her own decision. She has said: "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 enabling choice when it related to others." In June 2025, Mullally opposed new legislation that would extend abortion rights by decriminalising terminations in utero up to full term. Mullally acknowledged, but did not sign, an open letter from Anglican clergy that called the bill a "dangerous change" to the law.