SERVICE, stability, and shepherding would be the themes of her archiepiscopate, the newly elected Archbishop of Canterbury told the General Synod on Tuesday morning.
Archbishop Mullally, setting out her vision during her first presidential address, spoke of the responsibility and many challenges of office.
She recalled the Archbishop of York’s charge to her, at the confirmation of her election last month, to be “an evangelist, a pastor, a prayerful, penitent and resilient disciple, and a teacher” (News, 30 January). She must also, she said, be “faithful, prophetic, a sign of unity, trust, and accountability”, as well as love the Church in all its diversity, work collegially, and enable “the gifts of others to flourish”.
“Well, I will try!” Archbishop Mullally said, to ripples of laughter. Her archiepiscopate would be marked by the call to serve others, she said, which had been her first calling. “My Christian vocation first led me to be a nurse — then later a priest, then a bishop, and now an archbishop.
“The theme that has run through all those chapters of my life has been washing feet and serving and caring for others.”
Archbishop Mullally believed that she would use her time in office not to “develop new programmes and initiatives”, but simply to be a “shepherd” who worked in partnership with others.
“I will work with you, Synod, with my fellow bishops, and with our national church bodies, striving to ensure that the Kingdom is being nurtured everywhere — in parishes, chaplaincies, cathedrals, and schools.
“The role of the Archbishop of Canterbury is complex and challenging. But at its heart is something profound and simple. Along with my fellow bishops, I am called to share the hope that we have found in Jesus Christ.”
This hope, the sense that the “best is yet to come” for the Church, would be the thread running throughout her archiepiscopate, she said. She was hopeful about signs, both anecdotal and statistical, of growth and new life in the Church.
“People are returning to church. They are finding welcome, friendship, community, meaning, and purpose. We rejoice with God in these green shoots of hope.”
But she also spoke of the challenges facing the Church of England. “We have too often failed to recognise or take seriously the abuse of power in all its forms,” she said. “Robust and transparent processes are central to the health of any institution; proper process around appointments; clear guidelines around conduct and good processes for handling concerns, complaints, and whistle-blowing.”
In particular, Archbishop Mullally spoke of abuse scandals and the need to strengthen safeguarding and accountability across the Church. Progress was being made, but she felt that much was left to be done.
“Nowhere is accountability more imperative than in relation to safeguarding, where in the past we have fallen tragically short. Safeguarding is a fundamental, non-negotiable responsibility, sharpened by our past failings and shaped by the work we still have to do.
“I am committed to bringing an approach of seriousness and focused direction to all matters relating to safeguarding in all contexts in the Church. This approach must be trauma-informed, put victims and survivors at the heart of all we do, and be committed to proper independence.”
Only by full transparency and independent scrutiny could the Church begin to rebuild the trust that had been broken, she said. “We must be willing, always, for light to be shone on our actions and our decisions. We can only begin to rebuild trust and confidence through openness and integrity.”
There were other storm clouds on the horizon: “inequality and injustice, the volatility of global politics, the climate crisis and more”, as well as the Church’s own theological divisions. In the face of this, Archbishop Mullally promised to bring “calm, consistency, and compassion”, as she shepherded the Church through this.
“When the wind and the waves are rocking the boat, I recognise my responsibility to focus on Christ, who calms the waters. I pray that I am able to approach this ministry with calm, consistency, and compassion — as we seek to be what the Church has for so long been: a stable presence in an unstable world.”