Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa joined rōpū from around the world to support the historic installation of the first female Archbishop of Canterbury in London.
Dame Sarah Mullally, now the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, has become the first woman to hold office in its 1,400-year history. Despite pockets of opposition from more conservative Anglican groups, cohorts from many countries travelled to support.
Most Rev Dr Don Tamihere, Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, says crowds came with great joy for her installation.
“Ka nui te harikoa, koina te tino wairua kua rongo ki roto i ngā whakanekehanga katoa o tēnei tikanga karakia, he hari nui, kei te hari te tini me te mano i whakamine mai ki roto i te whare nei me te marea i whakaemi mai o waho i te whare nei,” says Tamihere.
The Anglican Church continues to have one of the biggest Māori attendances in Aotearoa, remaining among the top three religious affiliations for Māori. Tamihere says the service was deeply resonant for Māori with its rich weave of language and culture.
“Our Māori tipuna fell in love with the indigenous Christ. So, when a service gathers many languages and cultures into one act of worship, we see something of the Anglican Communion as it is meant to be, a body in which indigenous peoples and culturally grounded expressions of faith are not diminished but can flourish.”
The group met Archbishop Mullally following the ceremony alongside New Zealand Archbishops Sione Ulu’ilakepa and Justin Duckworth, where she was gifted a pounamu pectoral cross which she called “wonderful”.
“It means a lot to me to know that people prayed as they carved it and for me to know that your support is there”, says Mullally.
Over 2,000 people were in attendance at the event, including Prince William and Princess Kate, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
