In the United Kingdom, Sarah Mullally was appointed the new Archbishop of Canterbury on Friday. This is the first time a woman has been appointed head of the Church of England in the 1400-year history of the position, UNN reports with reference to Reuters.
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Mullally will also become the ceremonial head of some 85 million Anglicans worldwide, and the appointment of a woman to the post could lead to even deeper theological divisions with some more conservative branches of the church in African countries, the publication writes.
Reforms introduced 11 years ago allowed women to hold the position, and by becoming the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, Mullally becomes a female leader in one of the last areas of British public life that had been run by men.
However, for Anglicans around the world, about two-thirds of whom live in countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda, the appointment of the first female archbishop could further highlight their distinctiveness from the mother church in England, the publication notes.
Mullally, 63, is a former nurse who served as England's chief nurse in the early 2000s. She advocates for creating an open and transparent culture in churches that allows for differences and disagreements.
"There's a lot of overlap between nursing and being a priest. It's all about people and being there for them at the most difficult times in their lives," she once told a magazine.
Reflecting the Church of England's status as the established church of England, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office announced the decision with the official consent of King Charles.
As monarch, Charles is the supreme head of the Church of England, a role established in the 16th century when King Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church.
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The Church of England has been without a leader since last November, when Justin Welby resigned over a scandal involving the cover-up of child abuse.
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