As Dame Sarah Mullally prepares to become the first female Archbishop of Canterbury in January, a 2020 complaint alleging procedural breaches in an abuse case has prompted a formal Church investigation.
Newsroom (15/12/2025 Gaudium Press ) Dame Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London who will make history next month as the first woman to serve as Archbishop of Canterbury, is confronting fresh scrutiny over her alleged role in the mishandling of a clergy abuse case. A complaint lodged in 2020 accuses her of improperly contacting an accused priest directly—a breach of established Church of England disciplinary protocols—while she oversaw the Diocese of London.
The Church of England has acknowledged significant administrative failures in processing the complaint, which was initially sent to Lambeth Palace, the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury. In a statement released late last week, church authorities admitted that “due to administrative errors and an incorrect assumption regarding the wishes of the person concerned, the complaint was not pursued and was not dealt with properly.”
Crucially, officials emphasized that Mullally herself was never informed of the complaint at the time. “The process never reached the stage where she would have been informed of the complaint or its contents,” the statement read. The Bishop of London was therefore unaware of the matter until it resurfaced through recent media reports.
In her own statement, Mullally expressed regret for the complainant, known only as “N,” acknowledging that he had been “let down” by church processes. “While his abuse allegations against a member of the clergy were fully addressed by the Diocese of London,” she said, “it is evident that a further complaint he subsequently made against me personally in 2020 was not properly dealt with.”
The complainant has spoken publicly to the Premier Christian website, describing the episode’s severe impact on his mental health. Premier reported that it had reviewed evidence suggesting Mullally contacted the accused priest about the allegations, contrary to protocol. After the initial abuse complaint against the priest was resolved, the survivor filed a separate grievance against Mullally herself. That second complaint, sent to Lambeth Palace, stalled when officials assumed—without seeking confirmation—that the complainant no longer wished to proceed after he failed to submit additional documentation.
Lambeth Palace has since apologized through its provincial registrar and assured that “urgent arrangements are now being made for the complaint to be considered according to the relevant statutory process.” The matter has been referred to Canterbury for review to determine whether it falls under the Church of England’s Clergy Discipline Measure. The final decision rests with the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, who may either close the case or initiate formal disciplinary proceedings.
Mullally, a former chief nursing officer for the National Health Service who entered the priesthood in 2006, has pledged to prioritize reform. “The Church’s procedures must change, both for complainants and for the clergy against whom complaints are made. Today, I am one of those clergy,” she stated. As Archbishop, she vowed to do “everything in my power” to advance long-overdue improvements, insisting that robust systems are essential for restoring public trust.
The timing of the controversy is particularly sensitive. Mullally was named to the Church’s highest office in October, following the resignation of Justin Welby amid a separate safeguarding scandal. A damning independent review concluded that Welby could and should have reported prolific abuser John Smyth to police in 2013. Welby’s departure left the post vacant for nearly a year, with Cottrell assuming most responsibilities on an interim basis.
Mullally is scheduled to be enthroned on January 28, becoming the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury and the first woman to hold the office in its 1,400-year history. Her tenure will begin under the shadow of this investigation, yet church statements suggest confidence that strengthened processes will allow the matter to be resolved transparently and promptly.
As the Church of England continues to grapple with the legacy of safeguarding failures, the case underscores the complex challenges awaiting its new leader—even as she prepares to guide the institution toward greater accountability.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from BBC and katholisch.de
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