RismadarVoice Reporters, April 25, 2026
In a landmark moment for Christian relations, the newly installed Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, the first woman to hold the position, is set to meet Pope Leo XIV in Rome this weekend in what is being described as a significant step in Anglican-Catholic relations.
According to the Punch report, Mullally will arrive in Rome on Saturday for a four-day official visit that will include a formal audience with the Pope at the Vatican.
The meeting marks her first international engagement since assuming leadership of the Church of England last month.
Her visit comes at a symbolic moment in the history of both churches, occurring six decades after the last major high-level encounter between the two traditions in 1966, when Archbishop Michael Ramsey met Pope Paul VI shortly after the English Reformation-era split.
Mullally, a former nurse and senior church leader, was recently installed as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury and now serves as spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion, which represents tens of millions of Christians worldwide.
The Vatican meeting is expected to focus on shared global concerns, including peacebuilding, poverty, climate change, and the future of Christian unity.
Both leaders are also expected to discuss longstanding theological differences, including issues that have continued to shape relations between the two churches.
The encounter has been widely viewed as a symbolic gesture of renewed dialogue at a time when religious institutions are navigating internal divisions and broader global challenges.
Church officials on both sides have described the meeting as an opportunity to strengthen ecumenical ties and deepen cooperation between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.
