A new Archbishop and Bishop of Canterbury
On Wednesday 28 January, Bishop Sarah Mullally DBE became the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, at her Confirmation of Election at St Paul’s Cathedral. She is the first woman to hold the office in its 1,400-year history.
At the ceremony Archbishop Sarah also legally became the Diocesan Bishop of Canterbury, and our diocese and cathedral were represented in both the legal ceremony and worship. Archbishop Sarah’s name was also carved into stone in Canterbury Cathedral.
The Confirmation will be followed by an Installation service at Canterbury Cathedral on 25 March, where Archbishop Sarah will preach her first sermon as Archbishop of Canterbury.
Between her Confirmation of Election and Installation, Archbishop Sarah will pay homage to The King and meet with the leaders of other Christian denominations and other faiths in the UK. She will also co-preside at the Church of England’s General Synod in London in February, where she will deliver the Presidential Address. By tradition, Archbishop Sarah will begin her public ministry and full programme of public engagements following her Installation.
It was a privilege for Canterbury Cathedral’s bell ringers to be asked to ring Great Paul at St Paul’s Cathedral at the end of the Confirmation of Election. This photo was taken by our bell ringer Andrew on his way up.
Great Paul weighs 17 tons and needs six ringers, and is tuned to be rung with the peal of bells in the other tower.
Our bell ringers also rang a quarter peal in Canterbury for the occasion after Evensong. Full details are available on BellBoard (https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/view.php?id=1929946 and https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/view.php?id=1929840).