Installation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, 3pm today
Six months after Dame Sarah Mullally became the first woman to be elected as Archbishop of Canterbury, she will be installed on the throne of St Augustine at Canterbury Cathedral, and her ministry can officially begin. More than 2,000 people will be present for the service which will be broadcast live on BBC1 and on the CofE’s YouTube channel. Order of service and links to live broadcast here.
A service with ‘women’s voices right the way through’
In a BBC interview with broadcaster Paddy O’Connell, to be shown at 2.30 pm today, she said that she recognised the significance of being the first female archbishop, “but I am also aware of the women that have supported me in my ministry, and also the men as well. And part of the installation service will have women’s voices right the way through it, so there’s something about celebrating women, but also being able to say to other people, in a sense, it’s entirely possible for you to follow your dreams”. In the wake of controversies around safeguarding in the church, she said it was seeking to become more “trauma informed, listening to survivors and victims of abuse” and light should be shone on all its actions. She said: “I continue to make my commitment to do all I can to ensure that the church becomes safer and also responds well to victims and survivors of abuse”.
26 Primates – leaders of Anglican provinces – due to attend the installation
Lambeth Palace confirms that 26 Primates are attending the service, out of a total of 42, leaders of Anglicans in the provinces of the Anglican Communion. A further four Primates are sending official representatives due to ill health and other commitments. Four Provinces are represented through networks and commissions or other invitees, despite their Primate not attending – Kenya, Jerusalem and the Middle East, Indian Ocean, and the Church of Congo. The Archbishop of Jerusalem has confirmed that he cannot travel due to the current situation in the Middle East. The Archbishop of Melanesia and the Acting Primate of Papua New Guina have sent apologies, due to travel issues caused by the war in the Middle East. The numbers are an indication of the split in the Anglican Communion, with some Primates joining the breakaway conservative group GAFCON, which has disengaged from the Archbishop as a means of keeping the Communion united.
Traditionalist Anglican Futures rebukes backers of ‘liberal’ Mullally’s installation
Anglican Futures, a conservative network opposed to liberal reforms such as women’s ordination as priests, has issued a strongly worded statement ahead of the installation of Sarah Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury. Aligned with the Jerusalem Declaration and the breakaway GAFCON movement, it says the ceremony will test claims that leadership of the global Anglican Communion has shifted away from Canterbury. The group highlights the role of Dean of Canterbury David Monteith, who is gay; the presence of the Bishop of Ebbsfleet Rob Munro, who oversees congregations objecting to women priests; and support for the installation service from “progressive” organisations associated with the Episcopal church in America. Anglican Futures argues that Sarah Mullally’s appointment signals alignment with the progressive, liberal agenda in the church and warns that attendance by Global South leaders would undermine their previous rejection of Canterbury’s authority.
Highlights of the installation service
The order of service and links to watch it live are here. The church has offered some highlights to look out for:
- Guests include the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Prime Minister and leader of the opposition, representatives from local and national government, the Commonwealth and the United Nations, members of the Church of England clergy and lay, 100 people from the wider Anglican communion across the world including 26 Primates, 150 people from different Christian denominations in England, representatives from a broad range of other faith groups, charity workers and nurses from Canterbury.
- The service will include prayers, hymns, readings and liturgical texts in many languages including the kyrie in Urdu, the gospel in Spanish, choral songs in languages from DRC and Namibia.
- The Bible on which Sarah Mullally will make an oath, is the heritage edition of The Saint John’s Bible, the first hand-scribed, illuminated manuscript commissioned by a Benedictine Monastery since the invention of the printing press more than 500 years ago. For nearly 60 years, Archbishops of Canterbury have been sworn in using the 6th-century Augustine Gospels, believed to be a relic of St Augustine, the first Archbishop of Canterbury. However, the gospels, which reside at Corpus Christi College in Cambridge, are fragile and not easily moved. The Saint John’s Bible is described as a Bible “for the 21st century”.
- She will be seated in The Bishop’s Chair, dating from 1844 a gift from Archbishop William Howley, where she will be given a pastoral episcopal staff used by Geoffrey Fisher, the last bishop of London to become Archbishop of Canterbury.
- Then she will be led to St Augustine’s Cathedra, a seat made from Purbeck marble in the 13th century, situated near St Thomas Beckett’s shrine, where she will be installed by the Dean
- The Secretary General of the Communion, Bishop Anthony Poggo, will present her with a Compass Rose pendant, the symbolic badge of the Anglican Communion, and the Primate of the Province of Central Africa, Albert Chama, will pray for her.
- The date for the installation was chosen long before Sarah Mullally was elected. It falls on the Feast of the Anunciation, marking the day the Angel Gabriel told Mary she would be the mother of Jesus, a moment of great good news. The Bible readings will be from Isaiah prophesying that a young woman would bear a son who would be named Immanuel, and the story of the angel Gabriel’s announcement from the gospel of Luke.
- Prayers will be led by people from the diocese of Canterbury
- There is no specially composed music, and the hymns were chosen by Archbishop Sarah Mullally.
- After the service, she will meet the Lord Mayor of Canterbury and pray a blessing on the city and diocese, a regular feature of installation services.
- Afterwards she will meet representatives who assembled for the service including primates from the Anglican Communion. On Saturday there will be a diocesan service of welcome and then she will spend Holy week and Easter in Canterbury, preaching on Easter Sunday.
Other news
King Charles becomes first patron of Jewish Community Security Trust
King Charles has been announced as the first patron of the Community Security Trust (CST), an organisation which provides physical security, training and advice for the protection of British Jews. The Jewish Chronicle reports that the announcement was made at the CST’s annual dinner in London on Monday, at the end of the day when four Jewish ambulances were torched outside a synagogue in Golders Green. Lord Finkelstein told guests that British Jews could stay strong because of their allies: “We can see our enemies very clearly, but let’s not forget how many friends we have… we have the greatest ally in our king. His Majesty’s response to the rise in antisemitism has been magnificent. He visited Heaton Park, and he visited us at CST, and now it is my privilege to be able to share news of which we are deeply proud. This morning, King Charles III graciously accepted our invitation to become patron of CST.”
Archbishop Richard Moth praises Jesuit Refugee centre for living out the gospel
The newly appointed Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Richard Moth, highlighted the Catholic church’s commitment to welcoming and supporting people seeking sanctuary in the UK, during a visit to the Jesuit Refugee Service UK centre in east London. He met refugees, volunteers and staff, and said the centre was rooted in the Christian call to welcome the stranger: “If more people could realise just what JRS is about, the impact that would have on our wider society would be extraordinary because we’re living out the gospel here”.
Religious leaders and civic groups halt far-right march in Liverpool
The Liverpool Post reports that religious leaders, politicians and campaigners combined to block a far-right march in Liverpool on Saturday. Supporters of a UKIP-linked “Walk with Jesus” rally planned to start on the piazza outside the cathedral, but the dean, Monsignor Anthony O’Brien, did not give permission. Anglicans supported him and issued a statement signed by many Christian denominations, saying the march had no backing from the city’s Christian community. It said “there is no place for prejudice, racism or bigotry” in the church. Trade unions, MPs and councillors also backed a unity statement supporting opposition to the rally. Around 60 “Walk with Jesus” marchers were met by more than 1,000 counter protesters and made little progress before being escorted away by police. The Liverpool Post concludes that “the fact religious leaders, city councillors from multiple parties and trade union groups came together on Saturday will be seen as a positive display of unity”.
The place of religion in US protests against ICE deportation raids
The sight of US clergy on the front line of protests against the Trump administration’s mass deportation of immigrants, has raised questions as to whether this is the latest example of a civil rights movement led by the church, the rise of the “religious left”. In a Religion News Service webinar, US reporters who witnessed the tear gas, arrests, Christian songs, prayer vigils, sermons and clergy civil rights law courses, described what has been going on, as a grass roots movement involving long standing organisations. Protests and events that were not essentially religious in nature, brought together secular and religious groups in an ad hoc fashion, with emerging religious themes, a fusion of activist spiritual songs, crosses held aloft, vigils springing up and a defiant affirmation of “love your neigbour”. The panel suggested protests were organised locally but this was not a national campaign, and local Christians involved were not exclusively left of centre – there were conservative Christians supportive in the background. Hosted by Niala Boodhoo, the speakers were RNS reporters Jack Jenkins and Yonat Shimron and NPR Religion Correspondent Jason DeRose. View the discussion again on YouTube here.
LDS church distributed $1.58 billion in humanitarian aid in 2025
The presiding bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Bishop Christopher Waddell, visited London this week to meet aid agencies which the church supports, delivering humanitarian aid across the globe. He led a round table discussion introducing the church’s annual report on its humanitarian work “Caring for Those in Need”, which outlines how the church, which has 17 million members, distributed $1.58 billion in humanitarian projects including food, shelter education and support for women and children, in 2025. Bishop Wadell acknowledged that the global humanitarian need is vast, so it works in collaboration with partner charities and NGOs to offer assistance in a total of 196 countries. Three of the aid agencies which the church supports – CARE, Save the Children and ShelterBox – attended the meeting to explain how their work scales up in times of disaster and emergency, and said their teams are monitoring the situation in the Middle East as populations are displaced and the hike in oil prices affects the provision and transport of aid.
Call for former Oxford professor to be jailed for 18 years for rape
The Times reports that public prosecutors in Paris are calling for Tariq Ramadan, a former Oxford professor and Islamic scholar, to be jailed for 18 years for the rape of three women. He is not present in court after being admitted to hospital in Geneva because of a flare-up of multiple sclerosis. He denies the charges, which relate to incidents in 2009, 2012 and 2016, saying the alleged victims consented to sex with him. The Times report says his lawyers walked out of the trial when the presiding judge rejected their pleas for an adjournment. They have denounced the case as a “travesty of justice”.
National Lottery £17m funding for places of worship – and £4.725 million for St James’s Piccadilly
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has announced three new funding awards for places of worship, totalling £17million. The Foundation for Jewish Heritage will receive £140,000 to manage and maintain historic synagogues, a figure which could increase to £1.2 million; the Nature in Sacred Places project has been awarded almost £550,000 to preserve churchyards at 150 religious buildings, with a possible further grant of £4.2 million; and £325,000 to transform burial grounds across Wales, with a potential further £3.8 million. The National Lottery Heritage Grants programme has also given £145m to more than 225 places of worship projects, including £4.725 million for the Wren Project at St James’s Piccadilly. Further awards go to St Monans Auld Kirk, St John’s, Doddington and St Mary’s Church, Finedon in Northamptonshire.
