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Dame Sarah Mullally has been named as the new Archbishop of Canterbury designate - making history as the first woman to be picked for this prestigious role.

A former NHS chief nurse, the sixty-three-year-old entered the priesthood in 2006 and was named as the initial woman to serve as Bishop of London in 2018 - occupying the third highest position of clergy in the Anglican Church.

This represents the initial occasion in nearly 500 years of tradition that the Church has chosen a female to assume its leadership.

Historic Appointment

The Anglican Church has been without someone in the senior role for approximately twelve months after the previous Archbishop stepped down over a protection controversy.

He resigned following a damning report into a serial offender associated with the Church. The investigation found that he "could and should" have notified authorities about John Smyth's abuse of male youths to police in 2013.

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell assumed most of Mr Welby's responsibilities in an temporary arrangement, and was one of the voting members of the committee tasked with choosing his successor.

Official Process

Following established custom, the process of selecting a spiritual leader involves a name being presented to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and then passed to the monarch.

The Prime Minister has welcomed the selection of Dame Sarah, saying: "This position will serve an important function in our national life. I wish her every success and anticipate working together."

While, technically, the King is leader of the Anglican Church, the individual occupying the role of spiritual leader is the most senior bishop and is the spiritual leader of the religious institution and the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Monarchical and International Response

The monarch has praised the new Archbishop on her appointment, "a position of great significance in the United Kingdom and across the worldwide Anglican community", Buckingham Palace said.

The international conservative Anglican group, which represents conservative views, has criticised the selection, saying that although some will welcome it, "the majority of the Anglican Communion still maintains that the Bible requires a all-male bishopric."

Transition Period

She will not formally assume her new role until a formal approval process in the new year, and an enthronement service comes later, after they have paid homage to the monarch.

In a declaration on Friday after her appointment was finalized, she said: "I recognize this is a significant undertaking but I undertake it with a feeling of calm and faith in divine guidance to carry me as has consistently occurred."

Speaking from the historic church, she noted that "during a period that seeks absolute answers and group identity, the Anglican tradition provides a more subtle approach but stronger."

Responding to Attack

Talking about the "terrible attack" of Thursday's attack on a synagogue in the northern city, she stated "we are witnessing prejudice that emerges through divisions across our society."

She continued: "The religious community have a duty to be a people who stand with the Jewish community against prejudice against Jews in every manifestation. Hatred and racism of any kind cannot be permitted to divide our society."

Professional History

A mother of two, she spent over 35 years in the NHS, becoming the most junior person to serve as chief nurse for the country in 1999.

Although she was volunteering in the Church at the period, it was just a short time after that she decided to become a priest and was promptly assigned helping make reforms in the way the organization dealt with abuse.

In that year she became canon treasurer at Salisbury Cathedral before becoming diocesan leader in the diocese of Exeter in 2015.

As London's religious leader she was regarded as someone who applied her background as an health service manager to help modernise the diocese.

Guiding Principles

"I am often asked what it has been like to have had two careers, first in the NHS and currently in the religious institution.

"I like to consider that I have always had a single calling: to follow Jesus Christ, to know him and to make him known, continually striving to live with compassion in the service of others, whether as a healthcare professional, a priest, or a bishop."

Upcoming Responsibilities

Perhaps the most urgent thing in her in-tray is still to chart a better path towards addressing abuse and treating with more compassion those impacted by such incidents.

There has also been a decline in religious participation, though London has to a degree resisted this pattern.

One of the areas she has been particularly vocal on is end-of-life choices - she is a vociferous opponent, as was her predecessor.

When the law was passed in the Commons, she characterized it as "impractical and dangerous and creates danger to the most vulnerable people in our community."

Progressive Stances

Among her responsibilities as Bishop of London was to chair a body trying to steer the Church's decision on whether to sanction gay unions.

She characterized the determination to ultimately permit priests to bless same-sex couples in 2023 as "a moment of hope for the religious community."

A former Archbishop, described her position as requiring a "newspaper in one hand and a Bible in the other."

Dr Williams told media outlets "the expectation of having an opinion on everything is quite heavy."