London
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A call to Christian ministry came after a prominent career in nursing, Sarah Malary became Canterbury’s new archbishop, the first woman to play a role in her 1,400-year history, and the spiritual leader of the Church of England of 85 million people around the world.
Marary, 63, became bishop of London in 2018. This is the third-highest bishop in the Church of England, after the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. Prior to her ordination, she worked as a nurse at a London hospital in Maral and served as chief nursing officer in England.
“In response to Christ’s call to this new ministry, I will do so in the same spirit of service as others who have motivated me since I first came to faith as a teenager,” said Marary after her appointment was announced Friday.
“At every step of that journey, through my nursing career and Christian ministry, I have learned to listen deeply – to people and to God’s gentle encouragement – to bring people together to find hope and healing.”
Mullally struggles to remain relevant to a more secular country, attempting to bridge the division between the more conservative and liberal wings, and fight to regain trust after a child abuse cover-up scandal.
Former Archbishop Justin Wellby resigned last year after failing to report John Smith, who was accused of physically and sexually abusing dozens of boys, including those he met at Christian camps in the 1970s and 1980s.
A terrible independent report found that by 2013 the Church of England “knowed at the highest level” of Smith’s abuses, including Wellby, who became archbishop that year.
According to church historian Dialmaid McCullock, Wellby’s resignation was “historical and without an exact precedent in the 1,427-year history of Archbishop Canterbury.”
“Our history protecting failure has left a legacy of deep harm and mistrust,” Marary said Friday. “As Archbishop, my commitment is to ensure that we continue to listen to the survivors, take care of vulnerable people, and develop a culture of safety and happiness for all.”
The promotion of Mallary was only possible for reforms under Wellby, who allowed women to be consecrated as bishops a decade ago. However, while the much more experienced Marary is considered a safe pair of hands by church insiders at the time of testing, the appointment of women ranked more conservative factions in the Church of England.
“Today’s appointments make it clearer than ever that Canterbury has waived its power to lead,” said Gafcon, an Anglican group in Africa and Asia, a regional group in which congregations have grown in recent years.
When Christianity spread during the British Empire, most of the Church of England (about three out of four) lived in its former colonies rather than in Britain. Analysts say this has dragged the center of gravity of faith towards a more conservative global south.
The Vatican offered to Mallary a muted congratulations on her appointment. Cardinal Kurt Koch, who leads the department to promote Christian unity, said that the Church of England and Catholic Churches “growed into mutual understanding and love” despite “occasional tensions.”
The sharpest of them is the role of women in two churches. Women are forbidden from ordaining the Catholic Church, and differences of opinion prevent attempts to unite the Church.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the most public face of an institution that has struggled with relating to a more secular country. The Archbishops are often asked to speak at important national moments that take the lead in key royal events, including the Corner of King Charles.
For many years, Muller has led the English Church’s process of exploring issues of marriage and sexuality, supporting a move that allows pastors to offer blessings to gay couples in the church. She is known as a powerful administrator, modernising the London Parish run and playing a leading role in the church’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In her new role, Marallie will lead efforts to address declining church attendance, including reaching younger people, and to tackle financial challenges.
The candidate for Archbishop of Canterbury was selected by the Organization Nomination Committee, chaired by Jonathan Evans, former head of the UK domestic security agency MI5. The committee, consisting of 17 voting members, selects priority candidates that the Prime Minister will approve.
However, King Charles, the highest governor of the British Church, has been officially appointed. The role of the British monarch records the date when King Henry VIII left the pope authority and declared the head of the new church. King Charles congratulated Marary on her appointment.
In July, Evans said he wanted to avoid the list of candidates. He said there was a desire for someone who could give the church genuine spiritual leadership and direction, and that he could “speak authoritatively and politely in the Christian voice to the situation of the nation.”
Announcing the appointment of Marary, Evans thanked the public for sharing their opinions on the Church’s direction during public consultations earlier this year. “I pray as Bishop Sarah prepares to take up this new ministry in the coming months,” he said.
Mullally was officially set up for worship at Canterbury Cathedral in March and will become the 106th Archbishop since St. Augustine arrived from Rome in Kent in 597.
