By Busra Nur Cakmak
ANKARA (AA) - Sarah Mullally was enthroned as the 106th archbishop of Canterbury and the first woman to lead the Church of England in its 1,400-year history in a ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral.
The Wednesday ceremony in Kent was attended by 2,000 guests including the prince and princess of Wales, Prince William and his wife, Princess Catherine.
'As I look back over my life - at the teenage Sarah, who put her faith in God and made a commitment to follow Jesus - I could never have imagined the future that lay ahead, and certainly not the ministry to which I am now called,' said Mullally in her first sermon as archbishop.
Last October, the Church of England announced that Mullally, 64, the bishop of London and a former cancer nurse, would become the next archbishop of Canterbury, succeeding Justin Welby.
Welby resigned in November 2024 following accusations that he did not do enough with information he had about a prolific child abuser to prevent further abuse from taking place.
The Church of England formally approved the consecration of women as bishops in July 2014, with the legislation taking effect later that year - marking a major shift in the church's leadership structure.
Debates over gender and sexuality intensified when Mullally was appointed bishop of London in 2017, the first woman to hold the post.
When asked her views on human sexuality around that time, she said: 'It is a time for us to reflect on our tradition and scripture, and together say how we can offer a response that is about it being inclusive love.'