Will Britain get its first woman archbishop today? Iran-born bishop a strong contender

Britain will name a new Archbishop of Canterbury on Friday to lead the Church of England, mother church of 85 million Anglicans worldwide, and for the first time the centuries-old institution could be led by a woman.

Reforms under former leader Justin Welby, who resigned last year over a child abuse cover-up scandal, paved the way for women to be consecrated as bishops a decade ago, a change that now makes it possible for a woman to hold office as the senior-most bishop in England’s established church.

“It would be incredibly exciting if the new Archbishop were a woman. That would be the first time in a history dating back to 597 AD… It would be momentous,” David Monteith, the Dean of Canterbury, told the BBC.

As dean, he will place the new Archbishop in their seat of authority during a formal service expected in the coming months.

Frontrunners include three women bishops

Bishop Rachel Treweek, the CoE’s first-ever female diocesan bishop, Iranian-born Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani, who came to Britain as a refugee with her parents after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and Bishop Sarah Mullally of the key London diocese, have been leading bookmakers’ lists to become the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury.

Another frontrunner is Bishop Martyn Snow, who stepped away from leading the CoE’s process to bless same-sex couples, saying he could not unite the Church, while media reports have also named Pete Wilcox, Bishop of Sheffield.

Appointing a woman to the Archbishopric would be a defining moment for Christians across all denominations and continents, and is certain to deepen theological divides over the approach to same-sex couples and the role of women in the church.

The Archbishop’s global role – shaped by the British Empire’s spread of Christianity to its onetime colonies – has complicated efforts to unify the Church in modern times.

Previous office-holders have walked a tightrope between conservative churches in African nations, where homosexuality is outlawed in some places, and more liberal voices in the West.

The conservative Global Anglican Future Conference, which says it represents the majority of Anglicans worldwide and had rejected Welby’s approach to homosexuality, believes only men should be consecrated as bishops.

On the other side, the British campaign group Women and the Church said there is still further to go, publishing a list – on the eve of the Archbishop’s appointment – of churches in England that it claims limit women’s role in ministry.

The monarchy has a historic role in Archbishop appointment

Reflecting the CoE’s status as England’s established church, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office will announce the decision on Friday with the formal consent of King Charles.

As monarch, Charles is the supreme governor of the CoE, a role established in the 16th century when King Henry VIII broke from the Catholic Church.

Unlike the Catholic Church, which elected Pope Leo just 17 days after Francis’ death, the CoE has taken nearly a year to pick a new leader due to a complex vetting process that was led by a former spy and involved senior bishops and global representatives.

The commission comprised 17 voting members, including five representatives from the global Anglican Communion, three from Canterbury, and six from the CoE’s governing body.