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

A former NHS chief nurse, the sixty-three-year-old became a priest in 2006 and was named as the first female Bishop of London in 2018 - occupying the third highest position of religious leadership in the Anglican Church.

This represents the initial occasion in almost five centuries of tradition that the Church has nominated a female to assume its leadership.

Groundbreaking Selection

The Anglican Church has been without someone in the senior role for almost a year after the previous Archbishop resigned over a protection controversy.

He departed following a critical investigation into a serial offender associated with the religious institution. The report found that he "was able and obligated" have reported John Smyth's abuse of male youths to police in 2013.

The Archbishop of York took on most of the former Archbishop's responsibilities in an interim move, and was among those casting ballots of the body charged with selecting his successor.

Official Procedure

Following established custom, the process of selecting a spiritual leader involves a candidate being presented to the Prime Minister and then forwarded to the sovereign.

The Prime Minister has welcomed Dame Sarah's appointment, saying: "The Archbishop of Canterbury will serve an important function in our country's affairs. I offer my best wishes and anticipate collaborating."

While, technically, the monarch is head of the Anglican Church, the individual holding the position of Archbishop of Canterbury is the highest-ranking cleric and is the religious guide of the religious institution and the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Monarchical and Global Response

King Charles III has praised Dame Sarah on her new role, "a position of great significance in the UK and across the global Anglican Communion", Buckingham Palace stated.

The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, which represents conservative views, has criticised the selection, stating that although certain groups support the decision, "most members of the global church still maintains that the scriptures mandates a male-only episcopacy."

Transition Period

She does not legally take on her position until a confirmation of election in January, and an installation ceremony comes later, after they have paid homage to the King.

In a declaration on Friday after her appointment was confirmed, she stated: "I recognize this is a significant undertaking but I undertake it with a sense of peace and faith in divine guidance to carry me as He always has."

Addressing media at Canterbury Cathedral, she noted that "during a period that craves certainty and tribalism, Anglicanism offers something quieter but stronger."

Responding to Attack

Talking about the "horrific violence" of Thursday's attack on a Jewish house of worship in Manchester, she stated "we observe hatred that emerges through fractures across our communities."

She added: "We then as a Church have a responsibility to be a group who stand with the Jewish people against prejudice against Jews in all its forms. Prejudice and discrimination of any kind cannot be permitted to divide our society."

Background and Career

A mother of two, she spent over 35 years in the National Health Service, achieving the position of the youngest-ever chief nursing officer for the country in 1999.

Although she was volunteering in the religious community at the time, it was just a few years later that she decided to become a priest and was quickly tasked with helping implement changes in the way the organization addressed abuse.

In that year she became financial administrator at Salisbury Cathedral before becoming Bishop of Crediton in the diocese of Exeter in 2015.

As Bishop of London she was regarded as someone who applied her background as an NHS administrator to help modernise the diocese.

Personal Philosophy

"People frequently inquire what it has been like to have had two careers, initially in the NHS and now in the Church.

"I prefer to think that I have consistently maintained one vocation: to pursue Christian faith, to understand his teachings and to share his message, continually striving to demonstrate empathy in the assistance to people, whether as a healthcare professional, a religious leader, or a church official."

Upcoming Responsibilities

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

There has also been a reduction in religious participation, though London has to some extent resisted this pattern.

A particular subject she has been most outspoken about is end-of-life choices - she is a vociferous opponent, as was her preceding Archbishop.

When the law was approved in the Commons, she described it as "impractical and dangerous and poses a risk to the most at-risk individuals in our society."

Modern Positions

Among her responsibilities as Bishop of London was to lead a committee trying to steer the religious institution's determination on whether to sanction gay unions.

She characterized the decision to finally allow clergy to bless same-sex couples in 2023 as "a moment of hope for the religious community."

Rowan Williams, summarised her new role as necessitating a "newspaper in one hand and a Bible in the other."

Dr Williams explained to media outlets "the pressure of having an position on all matters is quite heavy."