LONDON (AP) \u2014 Sarah Mullally was confirmed as archbishop of Canterbury on Wednesday, becoming the first woman to lead the Church of England.<\/p>\n
The worldwide Anglican Communion, which includes the Episcopal Church in the U.S., has no formal head, but the archbishop traditionally has been seen as its spiritual leader.<\/p>\n
Mullally, 63, a cancer nurse turned cleric, officially took up the responsibilities of her new job as judges presided over a legal ceremony confirming her appointment, which was announced almost four months ago.<\/p>\n
The so-called Confirmation of Election service marks a major milestone for the Church of England, which ordained its first female priests in 1994 and its first female bishop<\/a> in 2015. The church traces its roots to the 16th century when the English church broke away<\/a> from the Roman Catholic Church during the reign of King Henry VIII.<\/p>\n George Gross, an expert on theology and the monarchy at King\u2019s College London, highlighted the church\u2019s continuing divergence from the Catholic Church, which forbids women from being ordained as priests, much less as serving as the religion\u2019s global spiritual leader.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a big contrast,\u201d Gross said. \u201cAnd in terms of the position of women in society, this is a big statement.\u201d<\/p>\n But Mullally\u2019s appointment may deepen rifts within the Anglican Communion, whose 100 million members in 165 countries are deeply divided<\/a> over issues such as the role of women and the treatment of LGBTQ people.<\/p>\n She will also have to confront concerns that the Church of England hasn\u2019t done enough to stamp out the sexual abuse scandals<\/a> that have dogged it for more than a decade.<\/p>\n Gafcon, a global organization of conservative Anglicans, says Mullally\u2019s appointment is divisive<\/a> because a majority of the Anglican Communion still believes only men should be bishops.<\/p>\n Rwandan Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, chairman of the Gafcon council of senior bishops, known as primates, also criticized Mullally\u2019s support for the blessing of same-sex marriages.<\/p>\n \u201cSince the newly appointed archbishop of Canterbury has failed to guard the faith and is complicit in introducing practices and beliefs that violate both the \u2018plain and canonical sense\u2019 of Scripture and `the Church\u2019s historic and consensual\u2019 interpretation of it, she cannot provide leadership to the Anglican Communion,\u201d Mbanda said in October.<\/p>\n Mullally replaces former Archbishop Justin Welby, who announced his resignation<\/a> in November 2024, after he was criticized for failing to tell police about allegations of physical and sexual abuse by a volunteer at a church-affiliated summer camp.<\/p>\n