Pope Leo XIV Prays With Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally in Historic Vatican Meeting

Pope Leo XIV met and prayed with Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally in a closed-door encounter at the Vatican on Monday, with the meeting described as historic and framed as both a signal of progress and a test of limits for women in Christian leadership.

“Pope prays with Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally in historic encounter, vows dialogue Pope prays with Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally in historic encounter, vows dialogue VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV prayed Monday in the Vatican with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, and vowed to keep working to overcome differences “no matter how intractable they may appear,” in a historic meeting with the first female leader of the Church of England and spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion”

AP News

The Washington Post said Mullally, “the first female spiritual leader of Anglicans around the globe,” met and prayed with Pope Leo XIV in a “closed-door encounter at the Vatican.”

AP News

AP reported that Pope Leo XIV prayed Monday with Mullally and vowed to keep working to overcome differences “no matter how intractable they may appear,” in what it called a historic meeting with the first female leader of the Church of England and spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion.

The Vatican said the prayer in the Urban VIII Chapel inside the Apostolic Palace was a “moment of prayer.”

UPI said Mullally and the pope had a private meeting, then “each gave an address,” exchanged gifts, and prayed together during a service in the Chapel of Urban VIII.

The Christian Century described the visit as a four-day pilgrimage that included a private meeting on Monday morning, followed by addresses and exchanged gifts, and then a prayer service at the Chapel of Urban III where the pope presided and “the two said grace together.”

Across the accounts, the core sequence is consistent: private meeting, addresses, gift exchange, and prayer in the chapel inside the Apostolic Palace.

The Vatican meeting was presented as the latest step in a long-running Catholic-Anglican relationship shaped by doctrinal disagreements, especially around women’s ordination and the appointment of Mullally as the first woman archbishop of Canterbury.

AP said the encounter would have been “unthinkable just a few years ago,” given divisions between the two churches over women’s ordination “in general and Mullally’s appointment in particular,” and it noted that Anglicans split from Rome in 1534 when Henry VIII was refused a marriage annulment.

BBC

AP also said that despite a formal theological dialogue that began in the 1960s, “big differences remain,” especially over the Church of England’s decision to ordain women, while the Roman Catholic Church “reserves the priesthood for men.”

Crux reported that Pope Leo told Mullally that relations between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion have “been complex,” and it linked that complexity to the 60th anniversary of the first formal ecumenical statement signed in 1966 by Archbishop Michael Ramsey and Pope Paul VI at St. Paul’s Outside the Walls basilica.

EWTN News described the meeting as occurring amid “strained ecumenical relations and division among Anglicans,” and it said Pope Leo affirmed the Catholic Church’s “male-only priesthood” teaching.

The Christian Century emphasized the “optics” of Mullally kneeling beside the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, which “still maintains a male-only priesthood,” while also noting that the visit follows past archbishops of Canterbury traveling to Rome since 1966.

Several outlets also tied the timing to other recent high-profile Vatican prayer events, including AP’s description of October 25 when Pope Leo welcomed King Charles III and Queen Camilla and they prayed in the Sistine Chapel, described as the first time since the Reformation that the heads of the two churches had prayed together.

In their remarks, Pope Leo XIV and Mullally both emphasized prayer, dialogue, and overcoming differences, while also acknowledging that new problems have arisen on top of longstanding disputes.

“Pope Leo XIV meets with Dame Sarah Mullally, Archbishop of Canterbury in the Vatican on April 27, 2026”

Crux

AP quoted Pope Leo saying, “For my part, I add that it would also be a scandal if we did not continue to work towards overcoming our differences, no matter how intractable they may appear,” and it also reported that Leo acknowledged “new problems” had been added onto “historically divisive issues.”

Vatican News similarly quoted Pope Leo’s call to remove “any stumbling blocks that hinder the proclamation of the Gospel,” and it repeated Leo’s line that “it would be a scandal if, due to our divisions, we did not fulfil our common vocation to make Christ known.”

Mullally’s remarks were also direct and specific, with AP quoting her saying, “In the face of inhuman violence, deep division, and rapid societal change, we must keep telling a more hopeful story,” and it added her message that “every human life has infinite value because we are precious children of God.”

AP also quoted Mullally’s emphasis on building bridges rather than walls, saying, “We must therefore work together for the common good — always building bridges, never walls.”

BBC reported that Mullally praised Pope Leo for speaking out against injustice and told him he would receive a “warm welcome” if he were to visit the UK, and she said they were united in prayer for justice and for “peace in our world.”

Crux added another layer by quoting Pope Leo’s concern that “the divisions among Christians weakens our capacity to be effective bearers of that peace,” and it quoted Mullally again on “renewed clarity” as she called them to preach the Gospel.

While all the accounts describe the same meeting and prayer, they emphasize different aspects of what the encounter means for church relations, women’s leadership, and broader political context.

The Washington Post foregrounded the gender and leadership dimension, describing the meeting as signaling “both the promise and limits for women in Christian faiths,” and it described Mullally as “the first female spiritual leader of Anglicans around the globe.”

EWTN News

AP and PBS focused more on the pope’s stated commitment to overcoming differences, quoting Pope Leo’s vow to work “no matter how intractable they may appear” and describing the Vatican’s “moment of prayer” in the Urban VIII Chapel, with photos and video “closed to the press.”

Crux and EWTN News both stressed complexity and division within and between the churches, with Crux quoting Pope Leo on “been complex” relations and EWTN News describing “strained ecumenical relations and division among Anglicans” and pointing to splits over the ordination of women and sexuality.

BBC, by contrast, highlighted the anti-war and justice framing, reporting that Mullally praised Pope Leo for speaking out against injustice and quoting her that they were united in prayer for “peace in our world,” while also referencing Pope Leo’s warning earlier this month about the world being “ravaged by a handful of tyrants.”

Vatican News emphasized the pope’s Eastertide greeting of Christ’s peace and his teaching that the peace of the risen Lord is “unarmed,” and it tied that to divisions weakening Christians’ ability to bear Christ’s peace.

UPI and The Christian Century leaned into the pilgrimage narrative and the symbolism of the meeting, with UPI quoting Mullally’s pilgrim language and The Christian Century emphasizing the “optics” of Mullally kneeling and standing “shoulder to shoulder” with the pope despite the Catholic Church’s male-only priesthood.

The sources portray the meeting as part of an ongoing effort to move toward greater unity, but they also show that the path is constrained by unresolved doctrinal differences and by divisions within the Anglican Communion.

“Britain Anglicans VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV prayed Monday in the Vatican with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, and vowed to keep working to overcome differences “no matter how intractable they may appear,” in a historic meeting with the first female leader of the Church of England and spiritual leader of the global Anglican Communion”

myMotherLode

AP said Leo acknowledged “new problems” and vowed to continue the tradition of past popes to try to reunite the churches, while also noting that Anglicans split from Rome in 1534 and that the Roman Catholic Church reserves the priesthood for men.

myMotherLode

Vatican News described the pope’s call to continue theological dialogue and said he recalled decades of efforts to restore “complete communion in faith and sacramental life,” while also stating that the Anglican Communion is currently facing “many of these same questions at this time.”

The Christian Century reported that the statement from the archbishop of Canterbury said the visit would happen through prayer, personal encounters, and formal theological dialogue, and it quoted the aim “to affirm a shared witness, and encourage ongoing collaboration at both global and local levels.”

EWTN News added a concrete near-term item, saying that on Monday evening Mullally will preside over choral evensong at the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola and commission Bishop Anthony Ball as the archbishop of Canterbury’s official representative to the Holy See.

Vatican News also referenced the Anglican Centre in Rome and greeted its Director, Bishop Anthony Ball, who represents the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Holy See, tying the meeting to institutional continuity.

Crux and EWTN News both emphasized that women’s ordination and other disputes remain stumbling blocks, with Crux quoting Pope Leo that “the divisions among Christians weakens our capacity to be effective bearers of that peace,” and EWTN News describing splits among conservative Anglicans and referencing GAFCON’s break with the See of Canterbury in March.