New Archbishop of Canterbury to visit Pope Leo in April

2026-03-26 - 22:32

The newly enthroned Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the world’s Anglican Christians, will meet Pope Leo XIV during a visit to Rome from April 25-28, her office said Thursday. Sarah Mullally, 63, made history on Wednesday as the first woman to become the top cleric of the Church of England, the mother church of the world’s 85 million-strong Anglican community. “Archbishop Sarah Mullally will visit Rome from 25 – 28th April. During the visit the Archbishop will meet with Pope Leo at the Vatican,” Lambeth Palace, Mullally’s official seat, said in a statement. The announcement came as the archbishop exchanged letters with the head of the Catholic Church, who noted that Mullally was “commencing these duties at a challenging moment in the history of the Anglican family”. Pope Leo also urged the “need to continue to dialogue in truth and love” between the historical rivals. “This is especially vital given the manifold challenges facing our human family today. I am grateful, therefore, that this important dialogue continues,” wrote the pope. The Church of England became the country’s state establishment church and turned to Protestantism following King Henry VIII’s split from the Roman Catholic Church in the 1530s. The British monarch is its supreme governor, while the Archbishop of Canterbury is seen as the spiritual leader. Responding to the pope, Mullally said: “I share your conviction that our continued dialogue in truth and love is both a gift and a calling.” “I very much look forward to meeting Your Holiness in the near future and to continuing to strengthen the bonds of friendship and our shared commitment,” the archbishop added. Last October, King Charles III became the first head of the Church of England to pray with a pope in public since the schism with Rome 500 years ago. In his letter, the pope also noted the “differences” between the churches. Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of England ordains women and allows priests to marry. Both churches have been rocked by child sexual abuse scandals and cover-ups in recent years. Mullally’s predecessor, Justin Welby, announced his resignation as head of the Church of England in November 2024 over failures in handling an abuse scandal. He stepped down after a report found the Church of England had covered up a 1970s serial abuse case and that he failed to report the abuses to authorities when they came to his attention in 2013. AFP