From 1998 to 2001, Mullally trained for
ordained ministry on a part-time basis at the South East Institute of Theological Education (now
St Augustine's College of Theology). During this period, she also studied
theology at the
University of Kent, receiving a
Diploma in Theology (DipTh) in 2001. and ordained
priest the following Michaelmas (5 October 2002) at
Holy Trinity, Clapham; both ordinations were conducted by
Tom Butler,
Bishop of Southwark. From 2001 to 2004, she served her
curacy as a
non-stipendiary minister at the
parish of
Battersea Fields in the
Diocese of Southwark. She then served as an assistant curate at St Saviour's Church, Battersea Fields, from 2004 to 2006. She graduated with a
Master of Arts (MA) degree in
pastoral theology from
Heythrop College, University of London, in 2006.
Episcopal ministry In June 2015, it was announced that Mullally would be the next
bishop of Crediton, a
suffragan bishop in the
Diocese of Exeter. She was
consecrated bishop on 22 July 2015 by Archbishop
Justin Welby at
Canterbury Cathedral. She and
Rachel Treweek were the first women to be consecrated as bishops at Canterbury Cathedral. In September 2015, Mullally became the first woman in the Church of England to lead an ordination service, ordaining two deacons, Leisa McGovern and Sheila Walker, as priests at
St Mary's Church,
Ottery St Mary, Devon. On 18 December 2017, it was announced that Mullally would be the next
bishop of London, succeeding
Richard Chartres, who had retired in February 2017. The bishop of London is the third most senior bishop in the Church of England, after the
archbishops of Canterbury and
York. Between her confirmation and installation, she was licensed as an
honorary assistant bishop in the Diocese of Exeter so that she could undertake engagements related to her former see. She was
elected to the
see by the college of canons of
St Paul's Cathedral on 25 January 2018, and was
translated and took full legal possession of the see at the
confirmation of her election on 8 March at
St Mary-le-Bow. She assumed full duties upon her installation at St Paul's Cathedral on 12 May. On 15 July 2020, she acted as
principal consecrator at the consecration of
Hugh Nelson and
Ruth Bushyager to the episcopate. This represented a break with tradition, as the archbishop of Canterbury usually takes this role, and it was the first time a female bishop had led a consecration service in the Church of England. Sworn of the
Privy Council of the United Kingdom on 14 March 2018, Mullally was
introduced to the House of Lords to sit on the
Lords Spiritual benches on 24 May 2018. She sat by virtue of her office, as the Bishop of London is one of five Church of England bishops who automatically receive a seat in the Lords. She succeeded
Richard Chartres and became the first female
dean of the Chapel Royal on 12 July 2019. Mullally played a leading role in the
2023 coronation, one of three female prelates involved in the ceremonies.
Archbishop of Canterbury On 3 October 2025, the Church of England announced that Mullally would become the next
archbishop of Canterbury, in succession to Justin Welby. As such, she is
Primate of All England and the
metropolitan bishop of the
Province of Canterbury. She is the first woman to hold the post, and only the second since the
Middle Ages to hold the office without a degree from
Oxford or
Cambridge. Mullally was elected by the college of canons in December, and her election was legally
confirmed at St. Paul's Cathedral on 28 January 2026, at which point she became Archbishop of Canterbury and ceased to be Bishop of London. She was re-introduced to the House of Lords in her new role on 5 February 2026. She was formally installed at Canterbury Cathedral on 25 March, marking the beginning of her public ministry in the role. Her appointment drew opposition from some conservative Anglican groups. Within the Church of England, the conservative evangelical
Church Society stated that her election "creates additional problems of disunity in the Church in England and around the world" and expressed concern regarding her views on same‑sex relationships, while the traditionalist Anglo-Catholic organisation
Forward in Faith, which rejects the ordination of women as priests and bishops, recognised her as the "true and lawful holder of that office". Some Anglican churches, particularly in
Africa, opposed her due to their stance on the ordination of women and to Mullally's views on the blessing of same-sex couples. The
Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Gafcon), a conservative Anglican group mostly based in Africa and
Asia, expressed its "sorrow" at her appointment, saying that it showed that the Church of England "has relinquished its authority to lead".
Stephen Kaziimba of the
Church of Uganda stated his "sadness" at her appointment due to "her support and advocacy for unbiblical positions on sexuality and same-sex marriage that reveal her departure from the historic Anglican positions that uphold the authority of Scripture for faith and life". Other Anglican groups in Africa have supported her;
Emily Onyango, the first female Anglican bishop in
Kenya, said that Mullally's election indicated that "things will be done differently[...] We know there will be justice in the church".
Thabo Makgoba, the archbishop of Cape Town, said that Mullally's election was a "thrilling development".
Views Mullally is a self-described
feminist and has ordained both men and women. According to the
Financial Times, she "is seen as a theological
liberal". She has also expressed support for the inclusion within the Church of England of those who reject the
ordination of women, stating upon her announcement as the next Bishop of London: "I am very respectful of those who, for theological reasons, cannot accept my role as a priest or a bishop. My belief is that Church diversity throughout London should flourish and grow; everybody should be able to find a spiritual home." In September 2016, she became one of ten bishops to make up the church's "Bishops' reflection group on sexuality". In relation to same-sex relationships, she stated in 2017: "It is a time for us to reflect on our tradition and scripture, and together say how we can offer a response that is about it being inclusive love." In 2018, Mullally stated that she supported the Church of England's traditional teaching that marriage is between one man and one woman. In 2022, she supported the observance of
LGBT+ history month and the launch of an advisory group aimed at advising the diocese on "pastoral care and inclusion of LGBT+ people in the life of our church communities". Mullally has previously described her views on
abortion as favouring
abortion rights, although she would lean against abortion faced with her own decision. She has said: "I would suspect that I would describe my approach to this issue as pro-choice rather than pro-life although if it were a continuum I would be somewhere along it moving towards pro-life when it relates to my choice and then enabling choice when it related to others." In June 2025, she opposed legislation that would extend abortion rights by decriminalising terminations in utero up to full term. Mullally acknowledged, but did not sign, an open letter from Anglican clergy that described the bill as a "dangerous change" to the law. In her address shortly after her nomination, she said: "I long for that same hope for all those around the world caught up in war. For those living in extreme poverty. For those on the front lines of the ever-worsening climate crisis. For our
Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters, and all the peoples of the Middle East. For the people of Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, Myanmar and the DRC. May God end the horrors of war, comfort those who mourn, and bring hope to those living in despair. And I pray especially for Anglicans in those places, as they suffer alongside the people they seek to love and care for." ==Personal life==