Sarah Mullally (64), the first female archbishop of the Church of England (the established church), held her enthronement ceremony on the 25th (local time). It is the first time in the 492-year history of Anglicanism that a woman has taken the top clerical office representing 85 million faithful worldwide.

The BBC, the UK public broadcaster, reported that the Church of England held the enthronement of the archbishop at Canterbury Cathedral in Kent that day.

Archbishop Mullally knocked three times on the cathedral door with her staff before entering, and she took her seat in the Chair of St Augustine, where archbishops have sat for centuries. She prayed in a range of languages from around the world, including Urdu and Swahili, and there were readings from the Bible and hymns.

In her first homily, she said, “Looking back, as a teenager who resolved to strengthen faith in God and to follow Jesus, I could not have imagined the future that lay ahead.”

Archbishop Mullally said, “We must not overlook the suffering of those harmed by our actions, inaction, and failures in our church and communities,” and added, “Today and every day, we hold victims and survivors in our hearts and prayers. We must continue to commit ourselves to truth, justice, and action.” The Guardian interpreted this as her acknowledging the issue of child abuse within the church. Her predecessor, Archbishop Justin Welby, resigned after criticism that he failed to respond properly to abuse committed by church personnel.

Archbishop Mullally mentioned those who could not attend the enthronement because of the war in the Middle East and called for prayers for people in conflict zones. The Archbishops of Jerusalem and of Melanesia did not attend due to the war or war-related flight disruptions.

Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton attended on behalf of King Charles III, the titular head of the Anglican Church. About 2,000 dignitaries, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Lord Speaker Michael Forsyth, and Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle, were present.

Since 1534, when King Henry VIII issued the Act of Supremacy severing ties with the Roman Church and laying the foundation for the Church of England, this is the first time a woman has served as archbishop. Even including the Catholic era, beginning with St Augustine in 597, all 105 previous Archbishops of Canterbury were men.

Named as the next archbishop in October last year, Archbishop Mullally had been serving since January, but the official enthronement was held on this day.

Formerly a nurse, Archbishop Mullally was ordained in 2002 and became the first female Bishop of London in 2018. She has expressed progressive positions, including support for the blessing of same-sex couples.

Earlier, in a BBC interview, Archbishop Mullally said, “As I sought to accept the office of archbishop, I came to realize the significance of being the first female archbishop, and it led me to think of the women who have supported my ministry.”

The Church of England led by Archbishop Mullally faces many issues to resolve, including the blessing of same-sex unions and responses to cases of child sexual abuse within the church. There remain considerable voices, centered among conservatives within the church, that still oppose the ordination of women.