The BBC reports that Dame Sarah Mullally has been named as new Archbishop of Canterbury (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2lxyxqzxkdo). As has the New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/world/europe/uk-archbishop-canterbury-woman-church-sarah-mullally.html).
Our state broadcaster reports: Dame Sarah Mullally has been named as the new Archbishop of Canterbury designate – the first woman to be chosen for the role. A former NHS chief nurse, the 63-year-old became a priest in 2006 and was appointed as the first female Bishop of London in 2018 – the third most senior member of clergy in the Church of England. It is the first time in nearly 500 years of history that the Church nominated a woman to lead it.
British Gazette comment: I have no problems with women priests! My late mother was a Methodist lay preacher! Of course, the appointment will be called out by many who oppose women priests as a DEI hire. Although I support the ordination of women these critics are probably correct because of the fundamental political nature of the established church. After all this was why King Henry VIII took control of it in the first place! He wanted the institution to be under his control and NOT the Pope’s! Since that time, the aristocratic/political establishment have taken a very great interest in who gets to head up this religious organisation.
The Church of England was traditionally called the “Conservative Party at Prayer”. Well since I was born in the 1950s and brought up as a Methodist, it was not until early 2014 I had any first hand experience of the Anglian communion. I attend my local parish church as it is the nearest to where I live and the congregation forms part of the community in which I now live. If I was asked to describe my fellow communicant’s politically, a more accurate description (although still inaccurate) would be the Liberal Democrats at prayer. This because a number of communicants are terribly concerned about “climate change”, CO2 and “Net Zero” (in the sense that these three things are not being pursued aggressively enough) three things I too am concerned about but for different reasons!
I will now await the new Archbishop informing me about the importance of reducing my “carbon footprint” in not too far distant future!