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Pope León XIV Meets and Prays With First Woman Archbishop of Canterbury

The encounter signaled a renewed push for Christian unity despite unresolved doctrinal gaps.

Overview

  • The Vatican audience, which took place Monday, included a private meeting and joint prayer in the Apostolic Palace.
  • Pope León XIV urged greater Christian unity and said it would be a scandal not to work to overcome differences.
  • Sarah Mullally is the first woman to serve as Archbishop of Canterbury, a role that leads the Church of England and serves as a global Anglican figurehead.
  • Mullally chose Rome for her first foreign trip after her appointment and spent four days visiting major basilicas and meeting Vatican officials.
  • Longstanding disputes over papal authority and the Catholic ban on women priests still block full communion, as the churches note 60 years since a 1965 ecumenical declaration.