25th March 2026

Today, Dame Sarah Mullally will be enthroned as the Church of England's first female Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of 85 million Anglican Christians worldwide.  Mullally's appointment in October was criticised by conservatives including GAFCON a group of Anglican churches in mostly in ​African and Asian countries. Earlier this month GAFCON abandoned plans to name a parallel figurehead choosing instead to establish a new council. Many, more progressive Christians, will be celebrating the diversity of the Church and recalling that the first witness of and to the resurrection was a woman.  "Once I try and get my head around being the archbishop, I recognise the significance of being the first female archbishop, but I am also aware of the women that have supported me in my ministry," Dame Sarah said.  She was a nurse, eventually becoming the youngest ever chief nursing officer for England in 1999, and was ordained as a priest in 2002. 

Almighty God, you call your Church in every age to proclaim the Gospel of Christ:

look with mercy upon your servant Sarah,

and grant that, as deacon, she may care for those in need,

as priest, sustain us with the ministry of word and sacrament,

and as bishop, guard the faith

and build up the body of Christ in holiness.

Give her wisdom and kindness

that as archbishop, she may promote unity, seek truth,

and lead us in the way of righteousness and peace;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Amen. 

Prayer from the Church of England

The 13th edition of the Global Terrorism Index (GTI), which provides a comprehensive summary of the key global trends and patterns in terrorism over the last two decades has just been published by the Institute for Economics and Peace. Its findings are that global terrorism is declining. In 2025, deaths from terrorism fell 28 per cent to 5,582, while the number of attacks declined by nearly 22 per cent to 2,944. The improvement was widespread, with 81 countries recording improvements. Only 19 countries deteriorated, the lowest number of deteriorations in the Index’s history. 2025 was marked by the absence globally of large-scale attacks. The deadliest attack killed 120 people, compared to 237 in 2024 and over 1,100 in 2023. It was also the only attack in 2025 that killed more than 100 people, compared to five attacks of that magnitude in the prior year. 

You can read the whole report here.

Heavenly Father,

you have filled the world with beauty

and good things,

We rejoice because of the wonderful work of your hand

We thank you for life,

for the food of the earth

and clear fresh water

without which there would be no life.

We wonder at the variety and diversity of flora and fauna

and the magnificence of the universe.

We thank you for the mystery of creation:

for its beauty

that we can see,

for the sounds

we can hear hear,

for the aromas we can smell,

the textures we can feel

and for sweet and sour we can taste.

We thank you for today:

and the opportunities it provides to

experience of your presence.

We bless you and praise you

eternal, loving God of life.

Amen.