About this episode
The episode explores the life and appointment of Dame Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, highlighting her unique background and the challenges she faces.
Dame Sarah Mullally has been installed as the new Archbishop of Canterbury this week. The former nurse from Woking is the first woman to occupy the role of de facto leader of the Church of England and leader of the global Anglican communion. In contrast to her Eton and Oxford educated predecessor Justin Welby, Sarah Mullally attended her local comprehensive before studying nursing at South Bank Polytechnic. By the age of thirty seven she was appointed Chief nursing officer for the NHS, a meteoric rise that brought with it a six-figure Whitehall salary and meetings with the prime minister. But five years later she threw it in to become a junior priest earning less than twenty thousand pounds a year. Her supporters see her as a safe pair of hands, a leader who will steady the ship after years of abuse scandals and bitter rows over sexuality and identity. But following her appointment some of the more conservative and evangelical Anglicans have said they will no longer recognise the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury. So who is the new Archbishop and what will her tenure hold? Becky Milligan finds out.
People in this episode
Host: Becky Milligan
Topics covered
- leadership
- religion
- gender
- Anglican communion
- personal journey
Keywords
- Dame Sarah Mullally
- Archbishop of Canterbury
- Church of England
- NHS
- leadership
- gender
- Anglican communion
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Church of England, NHS
Places: Woking, South Bank Polytechnic
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