Religion
First female Archbishop appointed to lead Church of England
Sarah Mullally will become the first female leader when she officially takes charge of the church in March 2026. A group of conservative Anglican churches across Africa and Asia criticized the appointment.
Sarah Mullally has been named as the new Archbishop of Canterbury on Friday, making her the first female leader of the Church of England.
The former chief nursing officer for England will be confirmed as the church’s top bishop at a legal ceremony in the coming months.
In her first words after confirmation of her appointment, Mullally said while the role is a “huge responsibility,” she feels a sense of “peace and trust in God to carry me.”
Mullally will legally become Archbishop of Canterbury at a ceremony in Canterbury Cathedral in January.
Spiritual leader of Anglican Church
Mullally takes over the role from Justin Welby, who resigned in November 2024 and left office in January 2025 after failures in handling an abuse scandal.
Mullally will become the ceremonial head of 85 million Anglicans worldwide, but GAFCON — a grouping of conservative Anglican churches across Africa and Asia, criticized Mullally’s appointment.
The group said her appointment showed that the English arm of the Church had “relinquished its authority to lead.”
Although King Charles III is head of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury is the most senior bishop and is the spiritual leader of the Church.
Reforms allowed a woman to take Archbishop role
Mullally was ordained as a priest in 2002 and became one of the first women to be consecrated as a bishop in the Church of England in 2015.
She served as Bishop of London since 2018 and has been known to be progressive, championing causes such as allowing blessings for same-sex couples in civil partnerships and marriages.
Eleven years ago reforms were introduced to allow a woman to the hold the office, meaning Mullally could become the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury.
“I want, very simply, to encourage the Church to continue to grow in confidence,” she said in her first statement since the historic appointment.
“I look forward to sharing this journey of faith with the millions of people serving God and their communities in parishes all over the country and across the global Anglican Communion.”
King Charles gave formal consent for appointment
As is tradition, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office formally announced Mullally’s appointment after the formal consent of King Charles.
As monarch, Charles is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. The role was established in the 16th century after King Henry VIII broke from the Catholic Church.
“The Archbishop of Canterbury will play a key role in our national life. I wish her every success and look forward to working together,” Starmer said in a statement.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery
Correction: This article, originally published on October 3, 2025, was corrected on October 6, 2025, to remove information about the church’s history. The church has existed for over 400 years, not 1,400.
Religion
Pastor Chris Reportedly Fills Up Fifteen Stadiums in One Night at the Night of Bliss
Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s Night of Bliss on November 21, 2025 has quickly become one of the most talked-about Christian events in Nigeria. The programme was held simultaneously across the country, originally promoted as a ten-stadium event, but several reports and social media posts now claim the gatherings took place in fifteen stadiums nationwide.
Videos, photos and livestreams show massive turnouts across multiple cities, including Benin City, Port Harcourt, Lokoja, Asaba, Jalingo, Eket and others. Reports say all the stadiums involved were filled, though independent verification of exact attendance figures remains limited. What is clear from public footage is that each location recorded huge numbers of worshippers who gathered through the night for prayer, teaching and praise.
Even without confirmed capacity counts, coordinating ten to fifteen major gatherings across different states at the same time is a remarkable accomplishment. The atmosphere in each venue appeared vibrant and unified, with many participants describing the night as spiritually impactful.
For many believers, the Night of Bliss stands out as a moment of nationwide connection, sweeping attendance and extraordinary scale.
Have you ever witnessed anything like this?
Religion
Every member of this church should be awake one hour every night — Bishop Oyedepo reveals how to battle alleged gen0cide of Christians in Nigerians
Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide, David Oyedepo, has warned Christians over the escalating insecurity in Nigeria, following a spate of recent @ttacks on churches that resulted in multiple d3aths and abductions, saying Christians must take decisive action.
The bishop’s warning comes as international concern mounts, with Italy becoming the second G7 nation, after the United States, to openly demand an immediate end to the targeted k!llings of Christians in Nigeria.
Speaking at a Pre-Shiloh Encounter Church Service, Bishop Oyedepo expressed deep concern over the nation’s current situation.
“Developments in the past two weeks, particularly in Nigeria, are worrisome to say the least. There is need for a prompt response in prayers to stop the k!llings once and for all. You can’t trade people’s lives for your comfort.”
“All the innocent bloo.d shared is speaking vengeance… all the perpetrators will pay with their lives.”
The cleric urged church members to launch into “midnight raid (prayers)”.
“Every member of this church should be awake one hour every day for one week before v!olence descends to an@rchy in Nigeria…”
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRb2LF9DNnh/?igsh=eGY2aWxvbzM5eDc=
Religion
‘Children Were Crying’ – St Mary’s Principal Recounts Midnight Raid As More Details Emerge
More details have surfaced regarding the abduction of students and staff of St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Agwara LGA of Niger State, with the school principal, Rev. Sr. Felicia Gyang, giving a chilling account of how the attackers stormed the premises.
In a video clip dated November 21 and obtained by Sunday Punch, Gyang narrated how the terrorists forced their way into the school in the early hours of the morning while terrified children screamed for help.
According to her, the armed men arrived shortly after midnight, using motorcycles and vehicles to break through successive gates.
“The unfortunate incident happened past 12 when we heard noise, motorbikes, and the sound of cars. Before we knew it, there were serious bangs on different gates in the compound,” she recounted.
She said the sisters quickly gathered to observe the commotion.
She stated, “We got up, and I called my other sisters for us to peep out. When we peeped, we heard noise and children were crying.”
Gyang explained that in the confusion, locating keys to some gates became difficult, leaving her no choice but to exit through an alternative route to assess the situation.
“Apparently, when we were there trying to see what would happen with those that were out of danger at that moment, we could hear the sound of the other bus,” she said, referring to the vehicle used by the attackers.
She added that distress calls echoed from various parts of the compound as the bandits advanced.
The principal revealed that multiple attempts to reach security personnel during the attack were unsuccessful.
She added, “At the end, we heard the security man at the main gate rowing. We couldn’t hear what he was saying, but after some time, we heard them driving off on bikes.
“One of us was making calls to see who we could call for help. We tried to call places around where we could get help. We tried the Divisional Police Officer, too, but we couldn’t get through.”
Asked whether the school had received any prior alerts from security agencies, Gyang dismissed the claims.
“No, we didn’t receive,” she said.
She also denied suggestions that the school had earlier been advised to shut down over security concerns.
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