Archbishop of Canterbury makes oath to King Charles

[Anglican Communion News Service] The archbishop of Canterbury on Feb. 4 paid homage to His Majesty The King at Buckingham Palace.

Archbishop Sarah Mullally, who was confirmed as the 106th archbishop of Canterbury at St. Paul’s Cathedral on Jan. 28, made an oath to acknowledge His Majesty to be Supreme Governor of the Church of England. The homage is undertaken by all diocesan bishops, in a tradition dating back to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

By custom, the archbishop was accompanied by the lord chancellor, the Rt. Hon. David Lammy MP, and the clerk of the closet, the Rt. Rev. Richard Jackson.

Mullally said, “It was a privilege to pay homage to His Majesty The King at Buckingham Palace. I give thanks for His Majesty’s deep Christian faith, demonstrated in his life of service to our nation and the Commonwealth. I was conscious today of having paid homage to the King’s late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, when I became bishop of London. I am grateful for his support of the Church of England as I now begin this new ministry as the archbishop of Canterbury.”

Mullally’s installation as the archbishop of Canterbury will take place at Canterbury Cathedral on March 25, which also is the the Feast of the Annunciation.

Historically known as an enthronement, the installation marks the symbolic start of the archbishop of Canterbury’s public ministry in the Church of England and across the Anglican Communion.