Six months after the announcement in Canterbury Cathedral that the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Sarah Mullally, had been nominated as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury (News, 10 October 2025), the new Primate returned to the city to be installed in her new cathedral.
Although her election was confirmed in January (News, 30 January), the enthronement on Wednesday marks the symbolic start of her public ministry. She makes history as the first woman to hold the position in 1400 years.
The Archbishop had arrived on foot in Canterbury as a pilgrim on Sunday, six days after setting out from St Paul’s Cathedral with her husband, Eamonn, and a small party of supporters. On Sunday, about 100 people joined her on the outskirts of the city for the last part of the journey to her cathedral, where she was greeted by the Mayor, the Dean, and the Bishop of Dover. Dressed informally in walking clothes and boots, she pronounced herself “relieved” to have completed the 87-mile journey, telling the BBC: “It’s been a real joy. It’s also a joy to know that we’re done.”
The service on Wednesday — attended by more than 2000 people — was an altogether more formal occasion, full of pomp and pageantry
Dame Sarah Mullally is to be installed as the first ever female leader of the Church of England at Canterbury Cathedral.
— BBC Kent (@BBCRadioKent) March 25, 2026
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