Sarah Mullally enthroned as first female Archbishop of Canterbury – her stance on LGBTQ+ rights
Sarah Mullally has been enthroned as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury (Jordan Pettitt – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Sarah Mullally has been enthroned as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the first woman to hold the title.
During a sermon on Wednesday (25 March), Mullally addressed the “pain experienced by those who have been harmed through the actions, inactions, and failures of those in our own Christian communities”.
She promised a “church for the whole nation and for the world, which looks for ways of joining with people of all faiths and none, in acts of service that will transform”.
And while she didn’t specifically mention hardships LGBTQ+ Christians, her record on LGBTQ+ rights is pretty reassuring.
The announcement of Sarah Mullally as the first woman to lead the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion, was not well-received by some conservative churches in Africa and Asia on 3 October 2025, but it offered more-promising news for queer people.
Mullally, who technically became the Archbishop of Canterbury at her Confirmation of Election at St Paul’s Cathedral, in London, in January, before her service of installation at Canterbury Cathedral on 25 March, supported the introduction of church blessings for same-sex couples.
“I want, very simply, to encourage the Church to continue to grow in confidence in the Gospel, to speak of the love that we find in Jesus Christ and for it to shape our actions, and I look forward to sharing this journey of faith with the millions of people serving God and their communities in parishes all over the country and across the global Anglican Communion,” she said of her appointment.
“I know this is a huge responsibility but I approach it with a sense of peace and trust in God to carry me as He always has.”
Former NHS chief nurse Mullally succeeds Justin Welby, who announced his resignation following the publication of a report into child abuse within the Church of England.
What is Sarah Mullally’s record on LGBTQ+ rights?
As Bishop of London, Mullally helped lead the Church’s “living in love and faith” process and backed the introduction of the “prayers of love and faith”, which allowed same-sex blessings in churches.
The prayers include options for thanksgiving, dedication and God’s blessing, but do not constitute a marriage ceremony and do not change the Church of England’s doctrine, which still defines marriage as between “one man and one woman”.
During debates on the introduction of blessings for same-sex couples, Mullally acknowledged the Church’s past failure, saying: “Our eyes have been opened to the harm we have done, especially to LGBTI+ people”. In 2023, she joined fellow bishops in issuing an open letter of apology and said: “We realise this behaviour has not reflected the universal love of God for all people.”
However, it’s clear that she will face challenges both at home and even more so as global head of the Anglican communion: some 85 million people in more than 160 countries.
According to the Sudan Post, archbishop Justin Badi Arama, who leads the Episcopal Church of South Sudan, said: “It is sad that this newly appointed archbishop is a supporter of same-sex marriage.
“In their Synod of February 2023, she described the decision to allow priests to bless same-sex couples as a moment of hope for the Church. In my capacity as the chair of Global South Fellowship of Anglicans, we issued a letter reaffirming our position of not recognising unbiblical and unorthodox leadership.”
The Episcopal Church of South Sudan would continue to “uphold the traditional Christian teaching on marriage and to proclaim the biblical Anglican faith”, he added.
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