Church of England

Rule Changes

Mother church of the Anglican Communion; navigating internal and global divisions

For 1,400 years, only men held the position of Archbishop of Canterbury. On January 28, 2026, Dame Sarah Mullally's legal confirmation at St Paul's Cathedral ended that streak, making her the 106th person—and first woman—to lead the Church of England. She is the symbolic head of the global Anglican Communion, which has 85 million members across 165 countries.

Updated May 23