By Mullally’s installation as archbishop of Canterbury took place on March 25.
Pope Leo XIV expressed the desire to continue dialogue with the Church of England in a message to Sarah Mullally on the occasion of her installation as archbishop of Canterbury.
Mullally, formerly the bishop of London, was appointed archbishop of Canterbury in October 2025 with the approval of the King of England. She was installed March 25 in Canterbury Cathedral in east London. She the first woman to occupy the highest-ranking position in the Church of England.
In his message, dated March 20 from the Vatican, Leo expressed his spiritual closeness and sent Mullally “prayerful greetings” on the occasion of her installation.
The pope emphasized the responsibility of the office, noting that it is a mission “with responsibilities not only in the Diocese of Canterbury but throughout the Church of England as well as the Anglican Communion as a whole,” especially at “a challenging moment in the history of the Anglican family.”
“In asking the Lord to strengthen you with the gift of wisdom, I pray that you may be guided by the Holy Spirit in serving your communities and draw inspiration from the example of Mary, the mother of God,” he wrote.
A call to unity and dialogue
In his message, Pope Leo recalled the progress of ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Anglicans since the historic meeting between St. Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey in 1966, which began “a new stage in the development of fraternal relations, based on Christian charity.”
He praised the fruits of the theological dialogue promoted by the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), which has made it possible to “to witness together more effectively” in the face of current challenges.
He also acknowledged the difficulties along the ecumenical journey, quoting his and Mullally’s immediate predecessors, Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby, who wrote in a 2016 Joint Declaration that “new circumstances have presented new disagreements among us.”
Leo insisted on the need to continue moving forward: “We need to continue to dialogue in truth and love, for it is only in truth and love that we come to know together the grace, mercy, and peace of God.”
Unity in service of proclaiming the Gospel
The pope emphasized that the unity of Christians is not an end in itself but is oriented toward the mission of evangelization: “The unity which Christians seek is never an end in itself but is directed towards the proclamation of Christ, in order that … ‘the world may believe.’”
In this context, he recalled the words of Pope Francis, who warned that “it would be a scandal if, due to our divisions, we did not fulfill our common vocation to make Christ known.”
A historic and controversial election
Mullally’s election has had significant repercussions within Anglicanism. The Global Anglican Future Conference announced after her appointment that it was breaking with Canterbury and the Church of England, and stated it would not participate in meetings convened by the new archbishop nor contribute financially to Anglican bodies.
The churches belonging to GAFCON represent about 80% of Anglicans worldwide, reflecting the magnitude of the division opened by this historic appointment.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It was translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Is today’s Anglicanism relevant other than as a platform to promote today’s social agendas? If so, how so?
What’s the point, really? Talk which is unlikely to lead anywhere kept up for its own sake as a kind of perpetual motion machine?
Was Leo showering approbation on Mullally, or simply being diplomatically kind?
The letter should be on the Vatican website, or Lifesitenews has large portions of it.
Leo XIV continues to exhibit his predecessor’s vision of inclusiveness that excludes the preeminence of Christ’s revelation and its Apostolic witness.
We read: “a challenging moment in the history of the Anglican family.”
Indeed. Challenging for Anglicanism not as a Church, but still as an “ecclesial communion.” since lacking valid Holy Orders within the Apostolic Succession (Leo XIII, Apostolicae Curae, 1896; and then, regarding invalid female ordination within the Catholic Church, St. John Paul II’s Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, 1994).
And, a “family” which is so divided that Canterbury now speaks for only 20 percent of Anglicans, and now that practicing Muslims in England now outnumber practicing Anglicans.
So, yes, very much with Pope Leo XIV and especially with regard to shared Christian evangelization—unity in prayer and charity. And, too, “draw inspiration from the example of Mary, the mother of God,” who is inseparable from the Church, as we see in Vatican II’s prescient incorporation of Mary directly into “Lumen Gentium.”
Why would you even acknowledge this woman? The Catholic Church doesn’t recognize the validity of any of her “ordinations.” She’s a lay-woman dressed up to look like a cleric.
Cardinal Hollerich offer any thoughts?
He is reaching out to the heretics and enemies of the Church while calling the SSPX schismatics.
True, Agnieszka,
One cannot be a Faithful follower of Jesus The Christ while denying Christ’s teaching on the Sanctity and Dignity of the marital act within The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony which affirms God’s desire that we respect the Sanctity and Dignity of Human Life from the moment of conception.
“His honour rooted in dishonour stood, / And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true”.
It has always been about The Marriage In Heaven And On Earth.
And dialogue with the other 80%?
This should be interesting.