First Female Archbishop of Canterbury to Meet Pope Leo XIV Despite Ongoing Doctrinal Disagreements

Apr 25, 2026, 06:19

Introduction

Archbishop Sarah Mullally, the first woman to lead the Anglican Communion, is scheduled to meet Pope Leo XIV in Rome for a four-day visit starting April 25. This will be the first high-level meeting between the two churches since 1966, when Archbishop Michael Ramsey met Pope Paul VI. The meeting takes place amid persistent disagreements over the ordination of women and other social issues.

Main Body

The upcoming meeting follows six decades of gradual improvement in relations between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church, which separated in the 16th century. However, a joint statement in 2016 acknowledged 'new disagreements,' especially regarding women's ordination. Mullally's appointment as the first female leader of the global Anglican community—about 85 million members—represents a major change in church governance. This contrasts sharply with Catholic doctrine, which does not allow women to serve as priests or deacons. The Catholic Church maintains an all-male clergy, although the late Pope Francis appointed women to senior administrative roles, such as Sister Simona Brambilla as prefect of a Vatican department and Sister Raffaella Petrini as president of the Vatican City governorate. In 2023, women were allowed to vote in the Synod for the first time. However, a Vatican commission in December 2025 decided not to recommend allowing women deacons, and Pope Leo XIV has stated he will not change core doctrine on this matter. In contrast, the Church of England approved female priests in 1992 and female bishops in 2014. Currently, 37% of its active clergy are women, and 36 female bishops serve, with 12 leading dioceses. The majority of those training for ordained ministry are women. Both churches face similar pressures, including scandals of clerical child sexual abuse. Mullally's predecessor, Justin Welby, resigned over failures in handling such cases. There are also internal divisions between conservative and progressive groups on issues like liturgy, same-sex marriage, and priestly celibacy. Mullally's own appointment drew criticism from several conservative African archbishops because of her gender and her supportive stance on same-sex marriage. Pope Leo inherited a similarly divided Catholic Church from Pope Francis, whose reform efforts often upset traditionalists. Women's rights campaigners, such as Sylvaine Landrivon of the Catholic feminist association Magdala, expressed hope that Mullally's visit might lead the Catholic Church to reconsider women's roles. Bishop Anthony Ball, the archbishop's representative to the Holy See, described the meeting as a chance to build a personal relationship and to address shared challenges including immigration, poverty, war, and environmental issues. Ball stated that he expects Pope Leo to be respectful of Mullally's position and that she will not raise the issue of women's ordination within the Catholic Church, as she is focused on internal Anglican matters. He characterized both leaders as 'quite careful listeners' who are taking time to decide on future steps.

Conclusion

The meeting between Archbishop Mullally and Pope Leo XIV highlights both the progress and the ongoing divisions in Christian ecumenical relations. Although the two leaders share common ground on social issues and a desire for unity, fundamental doctrinal differences—especially regarding gender and church authority—remain unresolved.

Vocabulary Learning

celibacy (n.)
the practice of remaining unmarried, especially for clergy獨身；禁慾
Example:Internal divisions exist on issues like priestly celibacy.
doctrinal (adj.)
relating to a set of beliefs or principles教義的；教條的
Example:The two churches have fundamental doctrinal differences.
ecumenical (adj.)
promoting or relating to unity among different Christian denominations普世教會的；促進基督教合一
Example:The meeting highlights progress in ecumenical relations.
governance (n.)
the system of managing or controlling an organization治理；管理
Example:Mullally's appointment represents a major change in church governance.
ordination (n.)
the process of officially appointing someone as a religious leader按立；授聖職
Example:The ordination of women remains a point of disagreement.

Sentence Learning

This contrasts sharply with Catholic doctrine, which does not allow women to serve as priests or deacons.
This sentence uses a non-defining relative clause ('which does not allow...') to add extra information about Catholic doctrine. The clause is separated by a comma and explains why the contrast exists.這個句子使用非限制性關係從句（「which does not allow...」）來補充關於天主教教義的額外資訊。從句由逗號分隔，解釋了為何存在對比。
In 2023, women were allowed to vote in the Synod for the first time.
This sentence uses the passive voice ('were allowed') to emphasize the action and the recipient (women) rather than who performed the action. It is typical in formal news reporting.這個句子使用被動語態（「were allowed」）來強調動作和接受者（女性），而非執行者。這在正式新聞報導中很常見。
The Catholic Church maintains an all-male clergy, although the late Pope Francis appointed women to senior administrative roles.
The linking word 'although' introduces a contrasting clause. It shows that despite the all-male clergy, there were some appointments of women. This structure helps present balanced information.連接詞「although」引導一個對比從句。它表明儘管神職人員全是男性，但仍有一些女性任命。這種結構有助於呈現平衡的資訊。
However, a Vatican commission in December 2025 decided not to recommend allowing women deacons.
The adverb 'However' is used at the start of the sentence to contrast with the previous statement (e.g., women allowed to vote). It signals a change in direction and helps structure the argument.副詞「However」用於句首，與前一句（例如女性獲准投票）形成對比。它標誌著方向的改變，有助於組織論點。
Pope Leo inherited a similarly divided Catholic Church from Pope Francis, whose reform efforts often upset traditionalists.
This sentence uses a relative clause with 'whose' to show possession. 'Whose reform efforts' refers to Pope Francis's efforts. This structure adds detail without starting a new sentence.這個句子使用帶有「whose」的關係從句來表示所有格。「Whose reform efforts」指的是教宗方濟各的努力。這種結構在不另起新句的情況下增加了細節。