Appointment of the Archbishop of Canterbury — Response from Sydney

Posted on October 4, 2025 
Filed under Anglican Communion, Church of England, Sydney Diocese

Appointment of the Archbishop of Canterbury

We acknowledge the appointment of Dame Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury with a spirit of prayerful reflection and gospel-centred concern.

We commend Dame Sarah’s distinguished record of public service in healthcare and recognise her achievements in administrative leadership.

However, we also recognise that this appointment comes at a time of profound theological tension within the Anglican Communion. The recent trajectory of the English Church–particularly regarding issues of human sexuality, biblical authority, and unity–has caused deep concern among those who hold to the historic and reformed teachings of Scripture.

Her public comments show she has strayed from the clear teaching of scripture and promoted serious error that will neither advance unity nor the mission of the church.

The office of the Archbishop of Canterbury once held a symbolic leadership role in the global Anglican Communion. However, due to a tragic failure to uphold biblical teaching, successive Archbishops have forfeited the trust of orthodox Anglicans, who now look to other leaders.

The Church of England and its new leadership must urgently return to the message of faith, hope, and love entrusted to us by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Bishop Peter Hayward
Commissary for the Archbishop of Sydney (on leave) 4 October 2025

– Public Statement from The Diocese of Sydney.