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PULSE POINTS
❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Church of England has selected a “pro-choice” woman to be the Archbishop of Canterbury, its most senior clerical office, for the first time.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Archbishop Sarah Mullally, the Church of England, the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), and Anglicans.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The announcement was made on October 3.
💬KEY QUOTE: “This appointment abandons global Anglicans, as the Church of England has chosen a leader who will further divide an already split Communion.” – GAFCON.
🎯IMPACT: The move will likely deepen the divisions in the Anglican Communion, and comes at a time when more and more young people in England are turning to Roman Catholicism.
IN FULL
The Church of England has appointed Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman ever to hold the Anglican church’s most senior clerical role. Mullally, 63, was known as a champion of Black Lives Matter and diversity as Bishop of London, and has previously described herself as “pro-choice” on the question of abortion.
Mullally has backed blessings for same-sex couples, pushed for greater inclusion of gender and sexual minorities, and branded the Church of England “institutionally racist” in a prior conversation with Anglican minister Calvin Robinson. “Calvin, as a white woman, I can tell you that the Church is institutionally racist,” she told the biracial conservative.
Mullally steps into the role less than a year after former Archbishop Justin Welby resigned following a child sex abuse cover-up, adding another stain to the institution’s already tarnished reputation. She is set to be officially installed in March 2026 at Canterbury Cathedral.
Her rise comes amid a broader ideological shift in the Church of England, which is widely regarded as abandoning its theological foundations in favor of woke, secular activism, using the image of Christ to promote anti-borders politics, for instance.
Last year, the Church faced backlash after St. Paul’s Cathedral, one of its most iconic institutions, even labeled wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill a “white supremacist.”
The Church’s leftward drift has also been linked to falling attendance and declining public trust. A growing number of young Britons are reportedly turning to the Roman Catholic Church, seeking stability and tradition. There are now more young practicing Catholics in England than young practicing Anglicans, with Catholics expected to outnumber Anglicans in England overall in the coming years.
Mullally’s appointment has already drawn fire from the global Anglican community, particularly from leaders in Africa and Asia, where the majority of Anglicans live. The conservative GAFCON network, representing churches across the Global South, condemned the announcement, stating, “This appointment abandons global Anglicans, as the Church of England has chosen a leader who will further divide an already split Communion.”
Hello, my name is Bishop Sarah Mullally.
I’m deeply honoured to have been called to serve as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury. pic.twitter.com/IqTgcfi7tp
— Archbishop of Canterbury (@OfficeofABC) October 3, 2025
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