Pope invites continued dialogue in message to new Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally

Pope Leo XIV expressed the desire to continue dialogue with the Church of England in a message to Sarah Mullally on the occasion of her installation as archbishop of Canterbury.

Mullally, formerly the bishop of London, was appointed archbishop of Canterbury in October 2025 with the approval of the King of England. She was installed March 25 in Canterbury Cathedral in east London. She the first woman to occupy the highest-ranking position in the Church of England.

In his message, dated March 20 from the Vatican, Leo expressed his spiritual closeness and sent Mullally “prayerful greetings” on the occasion of her installation.

The pope emphasized the responsibility of the office, noting that it is a mission “with responsibilities not only in the Diocese of Canterbury but throughout the Church of England as well as the Anglican Communion as a whole,” especially at “a challenging moment in the history of the Anglican family.”

“In asking the Lord to strengthen you with the gift of wisdom, I pray that you may be guided by the Holy Spirit in serving your communities and draw inspiration from the example of Mary, the mother of God,” he wrote.

A call to unity and dialogue

In his message, Pope Leo recalled the progress of ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Anglicans since the historic meeting between St. Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey in 1966, which began “a new stage in the development of fraternal relations, based on Christian charity.”

He praised the fruits of the theological dialogue promoted by the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), which has made it possible to “to witness together more effectively” in the face of current challenges.

He also acknowledged the difficulties along the ecumenical journey, quoting his and Mullally’s immediate predecessors, Pope Francis and Archbishop Justin Welby, who wrote in a 2016 Joint Declaration that “new circumstances have presented new disagreements among us.”

Leo insisted on the need to continue moving forward: “We need to continue to dialogue in truth and love, for it is only in truth and love that we come to know together the grace, mercy, and peace of God.”

Unity in service of proclaiming the Gospel

The pope emphasized that the unity of Christians is not an end in itself but is oriented toward the mission of evangelization: “The unity which Christians seek is never an end in itself but is directed towards the proclamation of Christ, in order that … ‘the world may believe.’”

In this context, he recalled the words of Pope Francis, who warned that “it would be a scandal if, due to our divisions, we did not fulfill our common vocation to make Christ known.”

A historic and controversial election

Mullally’s election has had significant repercussions within Anglicanism. The Global Anglican Future Conference announced after her appointment that it was breaking with Canterbury and the Church of England, and stated it would not participate in meetings convened by the new archbishop nor contribute financially to Anglican bodies.

The churches belonging to GAFCON represent about 80% of Anglicans worldwide, reflecting the magnitude of the division opened by this historic appointment.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It was translated and adapted by EWTN News English.