A month after becoming the first woman to be appointed head of the Anglican Church, Sarah Mullally was received at the Vatican by the Pope. The visit, which included a moment of shared prayer, aims to project the union between the two Christian confessions, beyond their historical divisions, mainly on the ordination of women.

First modification: 04/27/2026 - 23:26Last modification: 04/27/2026 - 23:36

To display this YouTube content, you must allow advertising and audience measurement cookies.

An extension on your browser appears to be blocking the video player from loading. In order to view this content, you must disable it on this site.

The meeting, unthinkable years ago, transmits a strong message. Pope Leo XIV, leader of a Catholic Church that reserves the priesthood for men, sitting next to Sarah Mullally, the first woman appointed to head the Anglican Church, sharing a moment of prayer together in the Urban VIII Chapel of the Apostolic Palace.

That image, one of the few that has emerged from the closed-door meeting, is the one that stands out in the historic four-day visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Vatican, a "pilgrimage" to Rome – as she described it – just a month after her appointment and on her first outing since taking office.

Sixty years after the first meeting between a pope and an archbishop of Canterbury since the break between the two Christian Churches in 1534 –John XXIII received Geoffrey Fisher on March 24, 1966–, Leo XIV and Mullally called for "working together" despite recognizing the "differences" between both confessions.

Anglicans – a faith now held by some 100 million people in 165 countries – broke away from Rome in 1534, when English King Henry VIII was denied an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

Although in 1966, after five centuries, both branches of Christianity began a formal theological dialogue towards reconciliation, there are still obstacles that, for the moment, seem insurmountable. However, specialists consider that gestures such as the meeting this Monday, April 27, contribute to bringing positions closer together.

According to the official statement, Leo

"For my part, I add that it would also be a scandal if we did not continue working to overcome our differences, no matter how irreconcilable they may seem," he said.

For his part, Mullally called to "work together for the common good, always building bridges, never walls" and stressed that "in today's world, we are called to live and preach the Gospel with renewed clarity."

"In the face of inhuman violence, deep division and rapid social change, we must continue to tell a more hopeful story," he stressed.

Read alsoPope Leo XIV in Africa: what is the Vatican looking for on the continent?

An approach despite the differences on the role of women

The main obstacle between both branches of Christianity is the Church of England's decision to allow female ordination, which has led to its first female priests in 1994, its first female bishop in 2015 and, now, Mullally as the first woman to lead Anglicans.

Leo

For George Gross, an expert on theology and monarchy at King's College London, Monday's meeting was historic because "if we went back several centuries, it would be unthinkable." "The fact that the pope is willing to meet demonstrates, in itself, the difference."

Theology expert, Tim Wilson, expressed something similar on his YouTube account, who highlighted that "the leader of a church that ordains women sits next to the leader of a church that does not," an image that "is the theological discussion made reality."

Speaking to reporters after the meeting with the pope, Mullally described it as "a moment of great warmth, encouragement and hope."

"I think we both recognize that, regardless of the fact that I am a woman, this is a significant moment, as our churches have walked a path together to deepen our friendship," she emphasized.

However, she acknowledged: "I cannot ignore the fact that my appointment as a woman has meant something to people and that has given me the opportunity to be heard, perhaps in a different way."

In an article published on the British platform Religion Media Centre, journalist and commentator Catherine Pepinster considered that "there are Catholic women who see Anglican female ordination as a model to follow, but it still seems very unlikely."

"A Vatican commission on deaconesses presented its report to Pope Leo

Although that option is distant, Leo XIV follows in the footsteps of Pope Francis, who deepened the recognition of women priests of other confessions. In 2015, she met Archbishop Antje Jackelén, the first woman to lead the Lutheran Church of Sweden. And in 2024, he invited Anglican Bishop Jo Bailey Wells to a private meeting with his cardinal advisors to discuss the role of women in the Catholic Church.

A message of unity in the face of internal divisions

Not only the ordination of women distances these two Churches. Anglicans do not recognize the authority of the Pope – for them, his highest representative is the King of England, in this case Charles III, who in October carried out a historic visit and prayer with Leo XIV in the Vatican – nor the dogmas of the Virgin Mary, while their religious do not assume celibacy.

Another issue that continues to be the subject of debate is the possibility of providing shared communion between both Churches. This "would have a significant impact on couples where one partner is Anglican and the other Catholic, and would be a strong symbol of communion," says Pepinster.

"However, theological discussions persist about whether the Eucharist is an act of commemoration or the real presence of Christ in the world, after consecration, as the Catholic Church teaches," he adds.

But while Catholic and Anglican teachings are aligned on most important issues, Leo XIV and Mullally are united by similar challenges to the leadership of their Churches, challenged by the more conservative branches within their organizations.

To display this content from X (Twitter), you must allow audience measurement and advertising cookies.

In the particular case of the Archbishop of Canterbury, while her appointment was largely celebrated in England and other Western countries as breaking the 'glass ceiling' for women in the Church, in the largest and fastest growing congregations in Africa, it was harshly questioned.

Many of them belong to a conservative group called the Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon), which has threatened to permanently break with the Anglican leadership, a statement that was backed by the Anglican Church of North America, a conservative branch splintered from the more liberal Episcopal churches of the United States and Canada.

In that sense, it is not surprising that Mullally's next trip will be to the African continent, from where the pope has just returned. The Anglican leader will visit Cameroon and Ghana next July.

"Your pilgrimage to Africa was full of life and joy. It reminded us that, despite our sufferings, people long for a full life, and many people work every day for this vision of the common good," the Archbishop of Canterbury told Leo XIV.

For Tim Wilson, Mullally's visit to Rome before traveling to those countries "is, of course, deliberate" because "it strengthens his global legitimacy" and "being next to the pope gives him symbolic authority."

Catherine Pepinster agrees, noting that "while some Anglicans in Britain (and many more in Africa) oppose her being an archbishop simply because she is a woman, she stands by the pope, arguably the most important spiritual leader in the world."

Wilson adds that both the Catholic and Anglican Churches "face similar or identical pressures: secularization in Europe, declining attendance, erosion of moral authority through abuse scandals, internal division between conservative and progressive factions, and questions of sexuality, authority and doctrine."

"In this context, unity is no longer just a theological aspiration, but a strategic necessity," he says.

A common moral position after Trump's criticism

The global context does not escape this historic meeting. The face to face between Leo

Precisely, Sarah Mullally had issued a statement days ago in solidarity with Leo XIV, highlighting "his brave call to the kingdom of peace", given the reality that "the costs of war are incalculable."

Read alsoTrump's attack against the Pope: what is behind it and what could it cost him?

Those ideas flew over again this Monday. The pope stressed that Christians must be "messengers of his peace," because Jesus "always responded to violence and aggression in an unarmed way, inviting us to do the same."

For his part, Mullally remarked to the Supreme Pontiff: "You have spoken with great eloquence about the numerous injustices that plague our world today" and thanked him for his recent positions because "the world needed this message at this time."

According to George Gross, the visit "is a reaffirmation of the unity" that both churches try to project, especially when facing global conflicts.

Likewise, Tim Wilson believes that "this alignment signals a shared moral stance on global conflict and peace" and "situates both leaders within a broader ethical discourse that transcends confessional divisions."

Although he acknowledges that "the visit does not portend imminent unity" and that "that would be unrealistic," the theology expert maintains that it "accomplishes three concrete things": "First, it reinforces a shared historical identity with roots in the early church. Second, it demonstrates that dialogue continues despite serious disagreements. Third, it projects a unified moral voice in a fragmented global context."

With Reuters, AP, EFE and media

Related keywords

The content you requested does not exist or is no longer available.