Warm congratulations to Archbishop of Canterbury-designate Sarah Mullally, currently Bishop of London, on her historic appointment as the new head of the Church of England.

Warm congratulations to Archbishop of Canterbury-designate Sarah Mullally on her historic appointment as the first woman to lead the worldwide Anglican Communion. A former nurse and health administrator, Bishop Mullally has already served faithfully as bishop of one of the most prominent dioceses. She now follows 105 men in assuming a role that carries immense symbolic meaning and profound pastoral responsibility, overseeing a global fellowship of more than 85 million Anglicans in 165 countries.

Her appointment proclaims to the world that leadership in the Church need not be confined by gender. It is a powerful witness that God calls forth pastors from every background, gifting them with compassion, courage, and creativity to meet the needs of our time. When women break through centuries of exclusion to assume leadership, the whole Body of Christ breathes more freely. Each step forward expands the circle of God’s embrace.

This breakthrough in the Anglican Communion echoes what is also happening across the Catholic Church. In the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP) and related RCWP communities, nearly 300 women have been ordained priests and bishops since 2002. In defiance of institutional bans, they now lead over 70 inclusive communities in Europe, North and South America, and beyond. Their ministry is a prophetic witness that priesthood is rooted not in gender but in baptismal equality and the Spirit’s call.

Like Archbishop-designate Mullally, Catholic women priests are breaking the stained-glass ceiling. They preside at Eucharist around open tables, preach the Gospel with boldness, and offer compassionate pastoral care in communities hungry for inclusion. They embody the Spirit’s insistence that the leadership of the Church belongs to all God’s people.

Today we rejoice that Sarah Mullally’s appointment and the courageous witness of Catholic women priests together point toward a renewed Christianity—a Church where glass ceilings are shattered, hierarchies are transformed into shared responsibility, and the Body of Christ flourishes in its full diversity.

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Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP