Dear St Giles’ and St Margaret’s church families,
So we have a new Archbishop of Canterbury: the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally DBE (how’s that for a mouthful!). Currently the Bishop of London (itself generally considered the third “ranking” Bishop in the Church of England, after the Archbishops of Canterbury and York), she is also the former Chief Nursing Officer in England. She’ll be officially starting in the New Year.
So of course the question everyone will have is “what will she be like as Archbishop?”, and nobody knows that. But in what can only be seen as a poisoned chalice, she seems a pretty safe pair of hands. She’s not, to my knowledge, especially strongly associated with any particular “wing” of the Church, and that has proven to be an advantage in London: you may, of course, have noticed that she’s a woman (more on that below!). You may or may not be aware that the Diocese of London has a disproportionately high number of traditionalist Anglo-Catholic parishes – i.e. parish churches which do not support the idea of female clergy.
It’s noticeable that one of those giving warm praise to Bishop Sarah on the official website is the Rt Revd Jonathan Baker, Bishop of Fulham – himself a traditionalist Anglo-Catholic, who provides episcopal support to such parishes. To have such warm praise from one who you might assume to be an ecclesiological “enemy” is quite a feat in itself, and speaks to her genuine desire to support all parts of the church.
On the one hand, I find that very impressive. On the other hand, there is a part of me – perhaps the petulant teenager within me – who wished for someone who was a bit more of a rebel, a bit more visibly on “our” side: for example, someone who is supportive of our Inclusive Church commitments to things like equal marriage, someone who defends local parishes against a dreary corporate PR-speak. (For what it’s worth, there’s plenty of evidence that she is supportive of all of these, but in a gentle, considered way which tries to bring others alongside with her).
But perhaps the most important aspect is her commitment to safeguarding, at a time in the Church of England’s life when it is – it is fair to say – in crisis over its repeated failures at all levels, from local parishes right up to the top of the hierarchy. It is clear that something is going to have to change, and I’m sure that will be at the very top of her ‘to do’ pile.
In the meantime, despite her smiling face in all of the official press photos, the position of Archbishop of Canterbury is a daunting burden. Not only is the Church itself in a rough spot, but everyone will demand to know her opinion on everything, and will be ready to rip her to shreds when her view doesn’t coincide with theirs.
To take all of that pressure, and then add on top the enormous pressure of being the first woman ever to hold the post, and the comments and censure that will bring. (I haven’t brought myself to look yet, but you can already imagine the accusations of tokenism circulating online). Being the first woman in any visible public role must be a tough gig, but to be the first woman leader of a Church of England and an Anglican Communion where lots of people have, er, strongly held views on such matters…
I think, whatever your views on Bishop Sarah personally, bishops more generally or the Church of England as a whole, she needs all of our prayers. I offer this from the Diocese of Oxford’s website:
God our Father,
Lord of the church,We thank you for calling Sarah Mullally to be our new Archbishop.
We thank you for her willingness to respond to your call,
and pray that you would pour upon her the strength, wisdom and vision that she needs as she leads and serves us.May we in turn commit to praying for Archbishop of Canterbury-designate Sarah and her family,
that you would bless and protect them,
and enable your church to walk together under her leadership in grace, unity and love.We ask this through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Amen.