Sarah Mullally, the bishop of Crediton, has been appointed the 133rd bishop of London, Downing Street announced.
Before becoming a priest, Mullally worked as a nurse in NHS hospitals in the capital, including St Thomas’s and the Royal Marsden, and became a Chief Nursing Officer in 1999. She was ordained as a priest in 2001. In 2005, she was made a dame in recognition of her services to nursing.
Mullally said:
“It is a great honor to be nominated to the See of London. Having lived and worked in London for over 32 years, the thought of returning here is about returning home….I am often asked what it has been like to have had two careers, first in the NHS and now in the church. I prefer to think that I have always had one vocation: to follow Jesus Christ, to know him and to make him known, always seeking to live with compassion in the service of others, whether as a nurse, a priest, or a bishop…To be given the opportunity to do that now in this vibrant world city is a wonderful privilege.”
The diocese of London is one of the few areas in which C of E congregations is growing. It is a complex diocese with a formidable presence of conservatives, both from the Anglo-Catholic and evangelical traditions, who disapprove of women priests.
Mullally will be introduced to representatives from across the diocese of London at St Paul’s Cathedral on Monday morning, before meeting staff and students at the Urswick secondary school in Hackney, where 70% of pupils are eligible for pupil premium funding.
The Acting Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Pete Broadbent, said that he welcomed Bishop Mullally’s appointment.
“I look forward with excitement to working under her leadership as our diocesan bishop. She has proven qualities of leadership and commitment to collaborative working. Bishop Sarah’s work in the public square uniquely equips her for the important outward focus that is required in leading the Diocese in this great world-city.”
In a blog published on the diocesan website, Bishop Mullally admitted she was both “delighted” and “terrified” to take up her new post. London was a dynamic and open city, but it also struggled with inequality and deprivation, she wrote.
However, there were opportunities for the Church:
“Although the time when people described themselves, by default, as Christians may be over, there is a huge hunger for spirituality and new ways for the Church to meet that hunger. Perhaps nowhere in the country is that more evident than in London.”
She also addressed potential concerns from traditionalists, who some had predicted would be unhappy to see a woman become Diocesan Bishop in a diocese with a strong Anglo-Catholic tradition.
“Just like London itself, the Church here reflects a real diversity of traditions and outlooks. I hope and pray that everyone can find a spiritual home within it and that this diversity can be a model of unity to the whole Church of England.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury has warmly welcomed Bishop Mullally’s appointment, describing her in a statement:
“As one of the first woman consecrated as a bishop in the Church of England, she has not only blazed a trail for others but lived out the principles of mutual flourishing and acceptance which I know will continue to bear fruit in London.”
SOURCE: Sarah Mullally appointed bishop of London
