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Dame Sarah Mullally has been appointed as the new Archbishop of Canterbury designate - making history as the initial female to be chosen for this significant position.

A former NHS chief nurse, the 63-year-old became a priest in 2006 and was appointed as the first female Bishop of London in 2018 - the third most senior member of religious leadership in the Anglican Church.

This marks the first time in almost five centuries of history that the Church has chosen a woman to guide its direction.

Historic Selection

The Church has been without someone in the top job for almost a year after Justin Welby stepped down over a protection controversy.

He stepped down following a damning report into a serial offender associated with the religious institution. The report found that he "was able and obligated" have notified authorities about John Smyth's abuse of boys and young men to law enforcement in 2013.

The Archbishop of York assumed most of Mr Welby's responsibilities in an interim move, and was among those casting ballots of the committee charged with selecting his successor.

Political Procedure

Following established custom, the procedure of choosing a new archbishop involves a name being presented to the Prime Minister and then forwarded to the monarch.

The Prime Minister has welcomed Dame Sarah's appointment, saying: "The Archbishop of Canterbury will play a key role in our country's affairs. I offer my best wishes and anticipate collaborating."

While, technically, the King is head of the Anglican Church, the individual holding the position of Archbishop of Canterbury is the most senior bishop and is the religious guide of the Church and the global Anglican community.

Royal and Global Response

King Charles III has congratulated Dame Sarah on her appointment, "a position of great significance in the United Kingdom and across the global Anglican Communion", the royal household announced.

The international conservative Anglican group, which advocates for traditional positions, has criticised the appointment, stating that although some will welcome it, "most members of the Anglican Communion still maintains that the Bible mandates a all-male bishopric."

Handover Process

She will not formally assume her position until a confirmation of election in the new year, and an enthronement service comes subsequently, after they have pledged allegiance to the King.

In a statement on the announcement day after her appointment was confirmed, she stated: "I know this is a significant undertaking but I undertake it with a feeling of calm and trust in God to support me as has consistently occurred."

Speaking from the historic church, she said that "in an age that craves certainty and group identity, Anglicanism provides a more subtle approach but more resilient."

Addressing Violence

Addressing the "horrific violence" of the previous day's incident on a Jewish house of worship in the northern city, she said "we observe prejudice that rises up through fractures across our society."

She added: "We then as a Church have a responsibility to be a people who stand with the Jewish community against antisemitism in all its forms. Prejudice and discrimination of any kind cannot be allowed to tear us apart."

Background and Career

Married with two children, she devoted more than three decades in the National Health Service, becoming the most junior person to serve as chief nurse for England in 1999.

While serving voluntarily in the Church at the period, it was just a few years later that she decided to become a clergy member and was promptly assigned helping make reforms in the way the institution dealt with misconduct.

In that year she became canon treasurer at the historic church before becoming diocesan leader in the diocese of Exeter in 2015.

As Bishop of London she was seen as someone who used her experience as an health service manager to help modernise the church district.

Guiding Principles

"I am often asked what it has been like to have had different professional paths, initially in the health service and now in the Church.

"I prefer to think that I have consistently maintained a single calling: to pursue Christian faith, to understand his teachings and to make him known, always seeking to demonstrate empathy in the service of others, whether as a healthcare professional, a priest, or a bishop."

Upcoming Responsibilities

Perhaps the pressing issue in her agenda is still to chart a better path towards addressing misconduct and approaching with greater empathy those affected by it.

There has also been a reduction in religious participation, though London has to some extent bucked that trend.

One of the areas she has been most outspoken about is assisted dying - she is a strong critic, as was her preceding Archbishop.

When the law was passed in the Commons, she characterized it as "impractical and dangerous and creates danger to the most at-risk individuals in our community."

Modern Positions

Among her responsibilities as London's religious leader was to lead a body trying to guide the religious institution's determination on whether to sanction gay unions.

She characterized the determination to ultimately permit priests to sanction gay relationships in last year as "an optimistic development for the Church."

A former Archbishop, described her new role as necessitating a "newspaper in one hand and a understanding of scripture."

Dr Williams explained to journalists "the pressure of having an opinion on everything is significantly demanding."