CANTERBURY, England: The Church of England named Sarah Mullally on Friday as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman to serve as ceremonial head of Anglican Christianity worldwide, prompting immediate criticism from conservative church leaders in Africa. The 63-year-old bishop, who once served as England’s top nurse, will, like her predecessors, face a Communion divided between conservatives and more liberal Christians over the role of women in the Church and the acceptance of same-sex couples.

Various candidates are reported to have been in the mix, among them a former refugee

She becomes the first female leader of the Church of England, replacing Justin Welby who resigned over his handling of a safeguarding scandal.