Cancer nurse turned archbishop celebrates election as first woman to lead Church of England

CANTERBURY, England (AP) — The new archbishop of Canterbury knocked three times on the doors of the city’s great cathedral on Wednesday, ceremonially demanding to be allowed inside in a tradition laid down over centuries by each new leader of the Church of England.

But this time, for the first time ever, a woman came knocking. And the doors were opened.

Sarah Mullally, a former cancer nurse who became a priest at the age of 40, walked into the cathedral to celebrate her historic election as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury since the post was created more than 1,400 years ago.

Although Mullally, 63, formally became archbishop in January, Wednesday’s event marked the beginning of her public ministry as both the head of the Church of England and spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The communion is an association of independent churches, including the Episcopal Church in the U.S., that together have more than 100 million members.

“We walk with God – trusting that God walks with us,’’ Mullally said in her first sermon as archbishop. “Trusting that — in all that we face, in the sorrow and the challenges as much as in the joy and the delight – we do not walk alone.″

The ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral was attended by Prince William, Princess Catherine, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and representatives from many of the 42 churches that comprise the Anglican Communion. Representatives from the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox church also attended.

In a nod to Mullally’s historic appointment, the service was held on the Feast of the Annunciation, which marks the moment Mary was told she had been chosen to be the mother of Jesus. It is a day on which the church says it celebrates “one of the great women of the Bible and thinks about how we can respond to God’s call.”

The celebration marks a major milestone for the Church of England, which traces its roots to the year 597, when the pope sent St. Augustine to Britain to convert the population to Christianity. He is now recognized as the first archbishop of Canterbury. The English church broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in the 1530s, during the reign of King Henry VIII.

The church ordained its first female priests in 1994 and its first female bishop in 2015.

Mullally begins her tenure as archbishop at a difficult time for the Church of England and the Anglican Communion, whose members are deeply divided over issues such as the role of women and the treatment of LGBTQ+ people.

Mullally will also have to confront concerns that the church has failed to stamp out the sexual abuse scandals that have dogged it and caused strife for more than a decade.

Mullally replaces former Archbishop Justin Welby, who announced his resignation in November 2024, after he was criticized for failing to act decisively and tell police about allegations of physical and sexual abuse by a volunteer at a church-affiliated summer camp.

In an interview with the BBC this week, Mullally said the church was “seeking to become more trauma informed, listening to survivors and victims of abuse.” She added that “light should be shone on all our actions, and the more senior we are, the more light should be shone.″

In her sermon, Mullally said she had “such hope″ for the church and considered ways big and small in which she found God in action.

“The church, through the ordinary lives of its people, contains so many extraordinary acts of love,” she said. “God’s people, offering a listening ear, a word of encouragement, or prayer for healing; offering food and shelter, sanctuary and welcome; in a world that so often seeks to divide us, tables to sit at and conversations to be shared.”

Mullally, who is married and has two adult children, was born in 1962 in Woking, southwest of London.

She attended local schools and worked as a nurse in Britain’s National Health Service until she was named chief nursing officer for England at the age of 37, the youngest person ever to hold the post. While still working in that job, she began training for the ministry.

Mullally was named a bishop in 2015, becoming the fourth woman in the Church of England to reach that rank. Three years later, she was named bishop of London, one of the most prominent positions in the church.

She was named Archbishop of Canterbury after a months-long selection process conducted by a committee of senior clergy and lay people, including representatives from the government and Anglican Communion.

But her appointment was not without controversy in a church that is still split over the role of women.

Archbishop Henry Ndukuba of the Church of Nigeria said her election was “devastating” and insensitive “to the conviction of the majority of Anglicans who are unable to embrace female headship in the episcopate.”

But Wednesday focused on a new start, rather than longstanding disagreements.

The service underscored the Anglican Communion’s worldwide reach, with Archbishop Albert Chama of Zambia offering a prayer in the Bemba language and Bishop Alba Sally Sue Hernández García of Mexico providing a Bible reading in Spanish. The Kyrie prayer was sung in Urdu.

An African choir sauntered down the nave, offering a song of praise. Many in the crowd swayed.

And there were nods to the past. Mullally remembered her life before the church, securing her ceremonial cloak with a clasp decorated by the buckle from the belt she wore as a nurse.

At the most sacred moments of the service, she almost looked as if she would burst into happy tears.

And when it was over, there was applause, long and sustained.

George Gross, an expert on theology and the monarchy at King’s College London, said Mullally’s appointment instantly makes her one of the most recognized Christian figures in the world, alongside the pope.

“I think it’s huge, absolutely massive,” he told The Associated Press. “The stained glass ceiling is smashed.’’

Members of the clergy ahead of the Enthronement Ceremony installing Dame Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, at Canterbury Cathedral, England, Wednesday March 25, 2026. (Jordan Pettit, Pool Photo via AP)

The Primates of the Anglican Communion arrive ahead of the Enthronement Ceremony installing Dame Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, at Canterbury Cathedral, England, Wednesday March 25, 2026. (Jordan Pettit, Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Princess Kate and Prince William during the Enthronement Ceremony installing Dame Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, at Canterbury Cathedral, England, Wednesday March 25, 2026. (Jordan Pettitt, Pool Photo via AP)

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally is greeted by local school children Brooke, Macanthony and Solomon, from John Wallis Academy in Ashford, representing the cathedral gatekeepers, during the Enthronement Ceremony installing Dame Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, at Canterbury Cathedral, England, Wednesday March 25, 2026. (Gareth Fuller, Pool Photo via AP)

Members of the clergy ahead of the Enthronement Ceremony installing Dame Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, at Canterbury Cathedral, England, Wednesday March 25, 2026. (Jordan Pettit, Pool Photo via AP)

The Primates of the Anglican Communion arrive ahead of the Enthronement Ceremony installing Dame Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, at Canterbury Cathedral, England, Wednesday March 25, 2026. (Jordan Pettit, Pool Photo via AP)

Britain's Princess Kate and Prince William during the Enthronement Ceremony installing Dame Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, at Canterbury Cathedral, England, Wednesday March 25, 2026. (Jordan Pettitt, Pool Photo via AP)

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally is greeted by local school children Brooke, Macanthony and Solomon, from John Wallis Academy in Ashford, representing the cathedral gatekeepers, during the Enthronement Ceremony installing Dame Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, at Canterbury Cathedral, England, Wednesday March 25, 2026. (Gareth Fuller, Pool Photo via AP)

Sarah Mullally, left, arrives for the Enthronement Ceremony installing her as archbishop of Canterbury in Canterbury, England, Wednesday, March 25, 2026, the first woman ever to lead the Church of England. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally poses for a photo after an 87-mile pilgrimage from London to Canterbury Cathedral, in Canterbury, England, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)

PARIS (AP) — Tennis players at the French Open say they haven’t experienced conditions this hot at Roland Garros since the Paris Olympics.

And the 2024 Olympics were held in July and August.

Temperatures for the opening two days of the clay-court Grand Slam have soared to 33 degrees C (91 F) — far beyond normal for late May in the French capital. And it’s forecast to stay that way for the entire first week.

Besides making it uncomfortable for fans and players alike, the sultry conditions have also created faster conditions on court — changing the pace of the game.

“It is much different. Maybe it was that hot in the Olympics but the balls were different, so I wouldn’t treat it as the same tournament,” four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek said after routing Emerson Jones 6-1, 6-2 in the first round on Monday.

Players have been putting bags of ice around their necks on changeovers to stay cool, while fans are refreshing themselves under sprinklers.

When workers water the clay courts between sets, they have taken to directing their hoses at spectators begging to be doused, too.

“I don’t remember the last time it was so hot at Roland Garros,” Russian-born Australian player Daria Kasatkina said after beating Zeynep Sonmez 6-4, 6-4. “Maybe one day. But we’re going to have it for the whole week.”

Kasatkina said the energy-sapping temperatures made for more up-and-down matches.

“You can suddenly just get out of the bench and feel that your focus dropped,” she said. “So this is a battle which you have to also win. … Whoever adapts better to today’s conditions gets it.”

Canadian player Gabriel Diallo said the heat was the main reason why he retired midway through his match against James Duckworth on Sunday.

Both Andrey Rublev and opponent Ignacio Buse called for the trainer on separate occasions during the second set of their match on Monday.

Buse took a medical timeout and had salts and minerals added to his water bottle as a stethoscope was placed on his chest. Rublev received treatment a few games later.

The French Open is usually cool compared to the heat at the Australian Open and U.S. Open.

But like in Australia and New York, the French Open has adopted an extreme weather policy.

If the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) — which takes into account temperature, humidity, sun, wind and other factors — reaches 30.1 degrees C (86 F) or higher, 10-minute cooling breaks can be installed between the second and third sets for women’s matches and between the third and fourth sets for men’s matches.

If the WBGT hits 32.2 C (90 F), play is suspended. It would require an air temperature of about 38 C (100 F) for play to be suspended.

Some players were embracing the hotter air.

“I’ve always preferred hot and lively conditions to chilly on a clay court, because I feel like I can bring a little bit more of my all-court tennis on this type of surface,” Australian player Alex de Minaur said after beating Toby Samuel 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

“It’s easier to be a little bit more aggressive. The ball is jumping. I don’t necessarily have to use as much spin or heaviness, and I can let the conditions do the job for me. And it’s quite physical. I don’t mind the heat,” De Minaur added.

Same goes for American player Alex Michelsen, who eliminated Alexander Shevchenko in straight sets.

“It’s definitely good for us Americans,” Michelsen said. “Generally we’re big serve, big forehand, big ground game and like to play offense. When it’s super hot, the ball is moving through the air very fast. … I was so happy when I saw the forecast.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

A stadium worker sprays the court with water before the first round men's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Visitors cool themselves with water from sprinklers during a hot day at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

A woman cools herself with a portable fan during the first round men's singles tennis match between Alex De Minaur of Australia and Toby Samuel of Britain at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Spectators cool themselves with hand fans during the first round women's singles tennis match between Elina Svitolina of Ukraine and Anna Bondar of Hungary at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Poland's Iga Swiatek gestures for a ballboy as he shields her from the sun during a break at the first round women's singles tennis match against Emerson Jones of Australia at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Visitors cool themselves with water from sprinklers during a hot day at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Alex De Minaur of Australia attends a break during the first round men's singles tennis match against Toby Samuel of Britain at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)