Church Moderator and Principal Clerk send congratulations to the next Archbishop of Canterbury

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and the Principal Clerk have written to congratulate Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally on her appointment as the next Archbishop of Canterbury.

She will be the 106th person to hold the role leading the Church of England, and the first woman.

The letter, which was signed by Rt Rev Rosie Frew and Rev Fiona Smith, reaffirms the close ties between the Church of Scotland and the Church of England promising our "continuing fellowship and…our prayers for you and for our fellow National Church".

It then states "the relationship between our two churches is one that we regard as integral to our ecumenical identity as part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, and one which has been strengthened by the signing of the Columba Declaration in 2016".

Before her ordination, Dame Sarah Mullally served as the UK Government's Chief Nursing Officer for England having specialised as a cancer nurse.

She was ordained in 2002 and became Bishop of London in 2018, as well as Dean of the Chapels Royal from 2019, and has been the chair of the board of trustees of Christian Aid since 2024.

Dame Sarah Mullally will legally become the Archbishop of Canterbury in January 2026 after her confirmation by a special ecclesiastical court, which will be followed by her installation in the spring.

The full letter reads:

On behalf of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, may we take the opportunity to congratulate you on your appointment as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury and as Primate of All England. Further, may we especially congratulate you as the first woman to be appointed to that See.

We are deeply conscious of the enormous challenges that you will face within the Church of England, and across the Anglican Communion, as you take up the See of Canterbury, and we wish to assure you of our continuing fellowship and of our prayers for you and for our fellow National Church.

The relationship between our two churches is one that we regard as integral to our ecumenical identity as part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, and one which has been strengthened by the signing of the Columba Declaration in 2016. We look forward to strengthening the ties that bind us in our shared vocation to bear witness to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In due course, we trust that we will have the opportunity to meet with you and, once more, may we assure you of our continuing prayers.

Yours sincerely

Rt Rev Rosie Frew, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Rev Fiona Smith, Principal Clerk of the General Assembly