We have it on the best authority that the meek shall inherit the earth and in the meantime in the case of Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, it’s the See of Canterbury.
She is a modest, very nice woman. I like her. I’ve met her a few times and she was always pleasant, decent and unassuming. On one occasion, she told me about being patronised on account of her dyslexia, which makes it tricky for her to negotiate sermon texts. She gave the impression that she’s used to being rather looked down on, though the men who do so may now take a different approach. She’s not an intellectual and wouldn’t pretend to be. She is, as she said in her acceptance speech, a listener; the trouble may come if she goes into a different mode, acting on decisive issues. She is very relatable, to use the current jargon, and it rang true when she said, ‘in an age that craves certainty and tribalism, Anglicanism offers something quieter and stronger shaped by prayer and lit from within by the glory of Christ. That is what gives me hope.’ She’s grounded in the love of Christ, which is the main thing for a Christian, let alone an Anglican bigwig.
She’s not an intellectual and wouldn’t pretend to be
There are of course ‘issues’ in respect of her appointment. One is that she’s a woman. That’ll drive one more wedge between the Anglican and Roman Catholic communion, but frankly, it doesn’t really matter given that women are priests and bishops in the CofE already. More importantly, it will put those Anglo-Catholics who cannot accept in conscience women’s ministry – and it is a view I share, from a different perspective – in a difficult position. Bishop Sarah has been eirenic about this at the outset: ‘Some will be asking what it means for a woman to lead the Church of England’, she observed in her statement, and responded: ‘I intend to be a shepherd, who enables everyone’s ministry and vocation to flourish – whatever the tradition.’
Well, will she? Can she? The fact is that anyone who does not accept women’s ministry has no place in the current CofE. Being an utter nerd, I have kept a booklet with the text of the debate on the 1992 Synod debate on the ordination of women to the priesthood and trust me, there was no suggestion there that the no-sayers would be banished to outer darkness the way they are now. Let’s remember too that this vote was passed by two votes – which did nothing to make the victors more accommodating to the losers; they’ve forgotten what a close shave it was.
A clergyman who does not accept women’s ministry may at present get by on the basis that there are bishops with whom he can do business. Now that the head of the Church (all right, under the King) is herself a woman, that compromise will be more difficult to accept. I don’t think most Anglo-Catholic clergy will turn to Rome on this basis – they’ll probably get through this by ignoring the Archbish and besides, Rome is more tricky in terms of a clergyman’s home life – but some at least will find their present, very difficult situation untenable and will join those who adopt the Personal Ordinariate within the Catholic Church, which enables them to keep some of their Anglican liturgy and for heterosexual clergy to keep their wives, while also being Catholic priests.
Another unavoidably tricky issue is that of blessings for homosexual unions. Bishop Sarah led the Church of England’s Living in Love and Faith process from 2020 to 2023. This introduced Prayers of Love and Faith for same-sex couples. That was, to put it mildly, divisive. This is such a toxic issue for the CofE, I would counsel her to steer absolutely clear of homosexual blessings, let alone marriage, for the next ten years and preferably forever. Just leave it alone. Don’t talk about it. All right, it won’t go away, but if Our Lord could get through His life on earth without mentioning homosexuality once, then it shouldn’t be beyond the wit of an Archbishop.
Sarah Mullally has also served on the Church’s National Safeguarding Steering Group and is also Lead Bishop for Health and Social Care issues. And in that position she articulated the position of the CofE on assisted dying magnificently. ‘I understand the fear of many that they may be offered free assisted death before they are offered the care and equipment that they may live,’ she said. And as former Chief Nursing Officer she knows what she’s talking about.
I wish her well, I really do, though obviously, as a Catholic I don’t buy the BBC dictum, parroting the Anglican position, that she will be the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury. My own view is that the last actually Catholic ABC was William Warham, who died in 1532. But don’t mind me. When it comes to the position of the CofE as the default mode of Christianity in Britain, she will be a very decent leader, though the want of intellectual clout will count for something. The PM, in a kind statement on her appointment, said that he looked forward to working with her. Well, she could start by making clear that Kim Leadbeater’s bill to enable us to commit suicide courtesy of the state is an absolute stinker.
And on that she’ll have us all behind her. Just one thing: she’ll need to be a bit more at ease with a crozier if she’s to look commanding. At present she wields it a bit like a big umbrella.
Damian Thompson and The Rev’d Marcus Walker react to the news on the latest Holy Smoke podcast:
Comments