Ex-midwife enthroned as first female Archbishop of Canterbury

The first female Archbishop of Canterbury said her teenage self “could never have imagined the future that lay ahead”, during her installation as leader of the Church of England

In her first sermon as archbishop, Dame Sarah Mullally said: “As I look back over my life – at the teenage Sarah, who put her faith in God and made a commitment to follow Jesus, I could never have imagined the future that lay ahead, and certainly not the ministry to which I am now called.

” Addressing some 2,000 guests at Canterbury Cathedral, including the Prince and Princess of Wales, she also warned against overlooking victims harmed by “the failures of those in our own Christian churches and communities”.

Also present were nurses and carers from Canterbury, to reflect Dame Sarah’s long career as a nurse. The service, historically known as an enthronement, marked the symbolic start of Dame Sarah’s public ministry as the Archbishop of Canterbury.

All 105 previous Archbishops of Canterbury have been men, starting with St Augustine in 597 AD. Women were only allowed to become priests in the Church of England 32 years ago, in 1994.

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