Britain will on Friday name a new Archbishop of Canterbury to lead the Church of England, the mother church of 85 million Anglicans worldwide. For the first time in its history dating back more than 1,400 years, the post could go to a woman.
Reforms under former Archbishop Justin Welby who resigned last year after criticism over a child abuse cover-up scandal paved the way for women to be consecrated as bishops a decade ago. Those changes have now made it possible for a woman to hold the Church’s most senior office.
“It would be incredibly exciting if the new Archbishop were a woman. That would be the first time in a history dating back to 597 AD… It would be momentous,” said David Monteith, the Dean of Canterbury, in an interview with the BBC. As dean, Monteith will formally install the new Archbishop in Canterbury Cathedral during a service expected in the coming months.
Women Bishops Among Frontrunners
Among those tipped for the role are Bishop Rachel Treweek, the Church of England’s first-ever female diocesan bishop; Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani, Iranian-born and a refugee to Britain after the 1979 Islamic Revolution; and Bishop Sarah Mullally, who leads the influential Diocese of London.
Other contenders include Bishop Martyn Snow, who previously withdrew from leading the Church’s divisive process on blessing same-sex couples, and Bishop Pete Wilcox of Sheffield.
Appointing a woman to the Archbishopric would mark a defining moment for Christianity across denominations and continents. However, it could also deepen theological divides over same-sex blessings and the role of women in ministry.
“This moment could be transformative, but it will also test the global unity of the Anglican Communion,” said one senior cleric familiar with the process.
Global Implications
The Archbishop of Canterbury holds a symbolic global role, shaped by Britain’s colonial spread of Christianity. Balancing conservative Anglican provinces, particularly in Africa where homosexuality remains illegal, with liberal voices in the West has long been a challenge for successive office holders.
The conservative Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), which claims to represent the majority of Anglicans worldwide, has rejected the consecration of women bishops. “Leadership in the Church should remain within the tradition of male bishops,” GAFCON said in a recent statement.
On the other side, British advocacy group Women and the Church (WATCH) said barriers remain. “There are still parishes in England where women cannot fully minister. Naming a woman Archbishop would be historic, but not the end of the struggle,” WATCH said in a release published on Thursday.
The announcement will be made by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office with the formal consent of King Charles III, the Church of England’s supreme governor. That role was established in the 16th century when King Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church.
Unlike the Catholic Church, which elected Pope Leo just 17 days after the death of Francis, the Church of England has taken nearly a year to fill the post. The appointment followed a rigorous vetting process led by a former intelligence official and involving senior bishops, members of the Church’s governing body, and representatives from the global Anglican Communion.
The 17-member commission responsible for the selection included five representatives from abroad, three from Canterbury, and six from the Church’s Synod.
The new Archbishop of Canterbury, the 106th in the line, will inherit the challenge of guiding the global Anglican Communion through one of the most divisive periods in its modern history.
