Yes, it is a long process, and it is not over yet. After her initial nomination by the King in October 2025, Sarah Mullally officially became the Archbishop of Canterbury today following a “Confirmation of Election” service at St Paul’s Cathedral. But this is not yet her installation. That won’t happen until March 25th, the feast of the Annunciation.
An article in Sky News explained that today’s service follows a tradition going back to the time of St Augustine, the very first Archbishop of Canterbury, in 595 AD. It is ‘part Christian liturgy and part legal process’, the purpose of which is for the church’s ecclesiastical court to confirm that Bishop Mullally’s election was legal. The process is preceded by what Sky described as “documents similar to bands of marriage … on the doors of St Paul’s and Lambeth Palace”, to allow the congregation to declare if they have any objection. We presume someone misheard the correct phrase, “banns of marriage”!
What is perhaps more interesting is what the article goes on to say about the task facing the new Archbishop, at what it describes as, “the angriest time in England’s history”, and that she will be “challenged from the moment she leaves St Paul’s”. It is true that the UK is struggling economically and there is anger in some quarters about issues of immigration. But there were surely much angrier time’s in the country’s history, the 17th century religious wars, for example. Maybe that phrase was just used to try to paint the picture of the tough task ahead of her.
But the article concludes that “she will apply to the task … her nursing skills of patience, kindness, and … determination”, and the fact that she has “reached the pinnacle of two ‘callings’ in life, ….suggests she has the mettle of servant leadership to help the church forward.”
Read the article in Sky News here.