First female Archbishop of Canterbury interrupted by heckler during confirmation ceremony

WorldPolitics
28 Jan 2026 • 10:32 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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A heckler interrupted Dame Sarah Mullally during her confirmation as the new Archbishop of Canterbury on Wednesday (28 January).

Dame Sarah, 63, has become the first female Archbishop of Canterbury in the 500-year history of the Church of England, following Justin Welby’s resignation more than a year ago over safeguarding failures in the handling of the notorious case of prolific abuser and Christian camp leader John Smyth.

During the service in St Paul’s Cathedral, a heckler, who appeared to be dressed in religious clothing, briefly interrupted the proceedings and was escorted from the cathedral – although it was not immediately clear what they said.

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