Dame Sarah Mullally – who has historically supported the introduction of church blessings for same-sex couples – has been appointed the first female Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England’s 1,400-year history. As Bishop of London, Mullally helped lead the Church’s ‘Living in Love and Faith’ process and backed the introduction of the ‘Prayers of Love and Faith’, which allow same-sex blessings in church. The prayers include options for thanksgiving, dedication, and God’s blessing, but they do not constitute a marriage ceremony and do not change Church of England doctrine, which still defines marriage as between “one man and one woman”. In 2023, Dame Sarah Mullally joined fellow bishops in issuing an open letter of apology for the Church’s historic treatment of LGBTQ+ people: “In an open letter, we together apologise for the pain, hostility, exclusion and rejection that LGBTQI people have experienced within the church. We realise this behaviour has not reflected the universa...