Kent welcomes its first woman Archbishop

The Bishop of London, the Right Reverend Dame Sarah Mullally, has been nominated as the next Archbishop of Canterbury

People in south east England have welcomed the first woman to become Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Church of England announced Dame Sarah Mullally as the next archbishop on Friday.

Bishop of Dover, the Right Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin, said: "Today we have witnessed history in the making, the first woman ever to be appointed to this role which has been in existence for over 1,400 years."

The city's MP Rosie Duffield said it was "a historic moment for the Church and for Canterbury".

Archbishop Designate Mullally said in a statement after the nomination that she looked forward to "sharing this journey of faith with the millions of people serving God and their communities".

Dame Mullally, from Woking, became the youngest-ever chief nursing officer for England in 1999 and was made a dame for her contribution to the profession.

She was ordained in 2002.

Woking College said it was "incredibly proud" of its former student and congratulated her on her appointment.

Bishop of Guildford, the Right Reverend Andrew Watson, said he would "pray for God's richest blessing on Sarah as she prepares to take on this exciting new role".

For more than seven years Dame Mullally has served as Bishop of London - the third most senior member of clergy in the Church - and was also the first woman to do that job.

Dean of Canterbury, the Very Reverend Dr David Monteith, said it was "momentous" to have a female archbishop and "we couldn't be more pleased that we are to have Archbishop Sarah".

Canterbury City Council leader Alan Baldock said ahead of the announcement that appointing a female archbishop would "put the eyes of the world on Canterbury once more".

Canterbury visitor Bernitta, from the USA, only learned a new archbishop was announced when she arrived in the city

Bernitta, who was visiting Canterbury from Arizona, USA, "didn't know" the new archbishop would be announced on Friday.

"They told me it was happening and I thought 'wow, this is lovely'," she said.

"She faces challenges all women face, I hope people support her."

Darren, visiting from the south of England, said: "We have plenty of vicars who are female," but added Dame Mullally "has a lot of challenges" to handle because "Britain is a divided country right now".

Kent resident Jane told the BBC "it's wonderful news" and she thought having a female Archbishop of Canterbury "might make the Church more relevant".

Justin Welby resigned in November over his failure to report prolific child abuser John Smyth

Previous head Justin Welby resigned from the role in November 2024 over his failure to report prolific child abuser John Smyth.

The process of choosing a successor was overseen by a committee chaired by a former head of MI5, Lord Evans.

This is the first time an Archbishop of Canterbury has been chosen since the Church of England first allowed women to become bishops in 2014.

What does the Archbishop do?

The Archbishop of Canterbury is seen predominantly as the spiritual leader of Anglican churches all over the world.

They hold a seat in the House of Lords, leading debates and responding to events of national importance.

Dame Sarah Mullally is the 106th cleric to take up the position.

She is expected to be installed in a service at Canterbury Cathedral in March.