The right-on reverend who could become first woman Archbishop of Canterbury
THE first woman to hold the title Bishop of London has hit out at inequality and declared she wants more diversity among Church leaders.
Sarah Mullally was yesterday appointed to the third most senior role in the Church of England – the highest position held by a woman.
The 55-year-old former nurse, who is married with two children, is now a front- runner to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury.
However the announcement was met with scepticism by some conservative Church leaders, who said more traditional congregations would ‘ struggle’ to accept her. They also expressed concerns about the views of a cleric who favours ‘radical inclusive Christianity’.
The Right Rev Mullally welcomed her appointment and said that, after spending 32 years in London, her new job would be a chance to ‘return home’ from her current role in Devon.
She said yesterday: ‘If our churches are going to be more relevant to our communities, that means increasing churches that are led by priests who are women, who come from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups.’
On her blog, she added: ‘London is... multi- cultural and multi-faith. It is a city of energy and diversity.
‘But it is also a city of inequality and deprivation. It is a city where the number of people living alone will rise by over 50 per cent in the next 25 years. And it is a city where people feel ignored, marginalised and angry.’
She previously served on Church committees trying to cope with allegations of sexual abuse – an issue that continues to cause toplevel rifts among Anglicans. She has also been identified with the cause of gay rights in the Church.
In February, after a bid to allow blessings for same- sex couples was defeated in the General Synod, she wrote in a blog: ‘What does radical inclusive Christianity look like in a church where there continues to be a vast distance between views over sexuality?’
And last month, against the backdrop of a growing sex scandal in Hollywood, she wrote: ‘ Something inside me weeps every time I hear when, as a result of the abuse of power in the Church, someone has been hurt... Accounts are coming all too often.’
The appointment of a woman cleric threatens to bring conflict to a major Church of England diocese that has long been a redoubt for opponents of women priests and bishops. Bishop Mullally’s predecessors have all declined to ordain women to the priesthood.
She succeeds Richard Chartres, who retired in February. But her promotion – after just two-and-ahalf years as a junior bishop – signals a victory for the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who has repeatedly criticised poverty and inequality. He has also fought for more senior women clergy, and has been frustrated in his attempts to liberalise the Church’s rules on gay clergy.
The Bishop of Maidstone, the Right Rev Rod Thomas – who supervises clergy who will not accept women priests – said: ‘Despite my own concerns over women bishops I think she will be a very positive force.’
However Jules Gomes, pastor of St Augustine’s Anglican Church in Douglas, Isle of Man, said: ‘Conservative evangelical and AngloCatholic churches will struggle to accept a woman bishop, but will find it even more difficult given that Bishop Mullally is completely unremarkable as a theologian, biblical scholar, preacher, evangelist or pastor.’
The appointment of Bishop Mullally comes against a background in which more people now follow the Church of England on social media than attend services.
Church leaders said in October that they have 1.2million followers each month who pray online. This compares with 1.1million who worship in church.
Bishop Mullally will be consecrated as the 133rd Bishop of London in the new year.