Overview

• Mullally, 63, was chosen on Oct. 3 through the Church’s Crown Nominations Commission process and a synod vote overseen by chair Lord Jonathan Evans.
• She succeeds Justin Welby, who resigned in 2024 after criticism of the Church’s handling of historical abuse cases, a context in which her selection is seen as a step to rebuild trust.
• A former nurse and England’s Chief Nursing Officer, she has served as Bishop of London since 2018 and is regarded as moderate-progressive, backing same-sex blessings and opposing assisted dying.
• As Archbishop of Canterbury, she becomes the Church of England’s senior cleric and a figurehead within a global Anglican Communion estimated at about 85 million, a role complicated by divisions with more conservative provinces.
• Reporting in Italian media says the Church has proposed a £150 million compensation fund for abuse survivors that would require the King’s approval, a plan presented as pending further scrutiny.