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The 63-year-old former NHS chief nurse has been selected as the new Archbishop of Canterbury designate - creating a milestone as the first woman to be chosen for this significant position.

A former NHS chief nurse, the 63-year-old entered the priesthood in 2006 and was appointed as the first female Bishop of London in 2018 - occupying the third highest position of religious leadership in the Anglican Church.

This represents the initial occasion in nearly 500 years of history that the Anglican Communion has selected a woman to lead it.

Groundbreaking Appointment

The Anglican Church has been without someone in the leading position for almost a year after Justin Welby resigned over a safeguarding scandal.

He departed following a damning report into a serial offender associated with the Church. The investigation found that he "could and should" have notified authorities about John Smyth's abuse of male youths to police in 2013.

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell took on most of Mr Welby's duties in an temporary arrangement, and was among those casting ballots of the body charged with selecting his replacement.

Political Procedure

In line with tradition, the process of choosing a new archbishop involves a candidate being presented to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and then passed to the sovereign.

Sir Keir has welcomed Dame Sarah's appointment, stating: "This position will play a key role in our country's affairs. I offer my best wishes and anticipate working together."

While, technically, the King is leader of the Church of England, the individual occupying the position of Archbishop of Canterbury is the most senior bishop and is the religious guide of the Church and the global Anglican community.

Monarchical and Global Response

The monarch has praised the new Archbishop on her appointment, "which is of such importance in the United Kingdom and across the worldwide Anglican community", Buckingham Palace said.

The international conservative Anglican group, which advocates for traditional positions, has questioned the selection, stating that although certain groups support the decision, "most members of the Anglican Communion still maintains that the Bible mandates a all-male bishopric."

Transition Period

She will not formally assume her position until a confirmation of election in the new year, and an enthronement service comes later, after they have paid homage to the King.

In a declaration on the announcement day after her appointment was confirmed, she said: "I know this is a significant undertaking but I approach it with a sense of peace and faith in divine guidance to support me as has consistently occurred."

Addressing media at Canterbury Cathedral, she said that "in an age that seeks absolute answers and group identity, the Anglican tradition provides a more subtle approach but more resilient."

Responding to Attack

Addressing the "terrible attack" of the previous day's incident on a Jewish house of worship in Manchester, she said "we are witnessing hatred that rises up through fractures across our communities."

She added: "We then as a Church have a duty to be a people who support the Jewish people against prejudice against Jews in every manifestation. Prejudice and discrimination of all types cannot be permitted to tear us apart."

Background and Career

A mother of two, she devoted more than three decades in the NHS, achieving the position of the most junior person to serve as chief nurse for the country in 1999.

Although she was volunteering in the Church at the time, it was just a few years later that she chose to enter a clergy member and was quickly tasked with helping implement changes in the way the institution dealt with misconduct.

In 2012 she became financial administrator at Salisbury Cathedral before becoming diocesan leader in the diocese of Exeter in 2015.

As Bishop of London she was regarded as someone who applied her background as an health service manager to help update the diocese.

Guiding Principles

"People frequently inquire what it has been like to have had different professional paths, first in the health service and now in the Church.

"I prefer to think that I have consistently maintained a single calling: to pursue Christian faith, to know him and to make him known, continually striving to live with compassion in the assistance to people, whether as a nurse, a priest, or a church official."

Upcoming Responsibilities

Possibly the pressing issue in her in-tray is still to develop improved approaches towards addressing abuse and approaching with greater empathy those affected by it.

There has also been a reduction in church attendance, though the capital has to a degree bucked that trend.

A particular subject she has been particularly vocal on is assisted dying - she is a strong critic, as was her predecessor.

When the law was passed in the House of Commons, she characterized it as "unworkable and unsafe and creates danger to the most vulnerable people in our community."

Modern Positions

Among her responsibilities as London's religious leader was to lead a body trying to steer the religious institution's determination on whether to sanction gay unions.

She characterized the determination to ultimately permit priests to bless same-sex couples in 2023 as "an optimistic development for the religious community."

A former Archbishop, described her position as necessitating a "awareness of current affairs and a Bible in the other."

The former spiritual leader explained to media outlets "the expectation of having an position on all matters is significantly demanding."