Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally’s predecessor resigned amid criticism of his handling of a serial sexual abuse cover-up
Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally after her enthronement ceremony at Canterbury, UK, March 25, 2026. © Getty Images / Stefan Rousseau - WPA Pool
[RT] The
Church of England has enthroned Dame Sarah Mullally as the first female
Archbishop of Canterbury since the church’s establishment in 1534.
The
ceremony took place in Canterbury Cathedral on Wednesday, and was
attended by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as well as Prince
William and his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales.
In her speech,
Mullally, a former NHS nurse, promised to stand up for victims of
historical abuse, and to focus on safeguarding and accountability.
“We must not overlook or minimize the pain experienced by those who have been harmed through the actions, inactions and failures of those in our own Christian churches and communities,” she said.
The
new Archbishop’s predecessor, Justin Welby, resigned following mounting
criticism of his handling of a cover-up of serial sexual abuse by
influential barrister John Smyth within the church in the UK and Africa
throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Mullally herself has come under media criticism recently, after
what some saw as her failure to take a strong enough stance against a
parliamentary bill seeking to decriminalize the act of seeking a
late-stage abortion in the UK. Currently, women in Britain can seek an
abortion up to 24 weeks into pregnancy, with some exceptions.
“I do not think that women who act in relation to their own pregnancies should be prosecuted, but I also do not wish to see any increase in later abortions,” Mullally said in the House of Lords last week. She stressed that she would not support the amendment pertaining to abortion.
The
bill is currently being deliberated by the upper chamber of British
Parliament. While the Archbishops of Canterbury are less politically
influential than they were historically, they have a seat in the House
of Lords along with other senior bishops and are involved in passing
legislation.