A forthcoming meeting between Pope Leo XIV and Sarah Mullally is expected to underscore longstanding differences between the Catholic Church and the Church of England on the role of women in leadership.
Mullally, recently installed as the first woman to lead the Church of England, is set to begin a four-day visit to Rome and the Vatican on Saturday. The trip marks her first international engagement since her enthronement last month.
The discussions come against the backdrop of contrasting policies and traditions in both institutions regarding women’s participation in church leadership.
Catholic Church Structure and Limits
Within the Catholic Church, clerical roles remain exclusively reserved for men. Positions such as priests, bishops, cardinals, and the pope have historically been and continue to be held only by men.
However, under the late Pope Francis, women gained increased visibility in administrative leadership. He appointed women to senior Vatican roles, including Sister Simona Brambilla, who heads the office overseeing global religious orders, and Sister Raffaella Petrini, who became president of the Vatican City governorate in March 2025.
In another milestone, women were permitted to vote for the first time in the Synod in 2023, a key advisory body within the Church.
Despite these developments, doctrinal limits remain firm. In December 2025, a Vatican commission rejected, for now, proposals to allow women to serve as deacons — a role that permits officiating at baptisms, weddings, and funerals, but not the celebration of Mass. Pope Leo XIV has since indicated no intention to alter this stance or other core teachings, including those related to same-sex marriage.
Statistics from the Vatican show that women continue to make up a significant portion of the Church’s population, with approximately 589,000 nuns and lay sisters worldwide as of 2025. In comparison, there are about 407,000 priests, 5,430 bishops, and 51,400 deacons globally.
Church of England’s Inclusive Approach
In contrast, the Church of England has taken a more progressive path in integrating women into clerical leadership.
Its governing body, the General Synod, approved the ordination of women as priests in 1992, with the first ordinations taking place in 1994. The move triggered a wave of opposition, leading hundreds of male clergy to leave for the Catholic Church.
The church later extended this inclusion in 2014 by allowing women to become bishops after years of internal debate.
Today, women account for roughly 37 percent of the Church of England’s 18,000 active clergy. There are currently 36 female bishops, with 12 serving in senior diocesan leadership roles. Additionally, women now make up the majority of those training for ordained ministry.
The Church of England reported about 1.02 million regular worshippers in 2024, reflecting modest growth, while the wider Anglican Communion estimates a global following of around 85 million people across more than 165 countries.
A Symbolic Encounter
The meeting between Pope Leo XIV and Sarah Mullally is expected to be largely symbolic but significant, reflecting broader debates within global Christianity about gender, authority, and the future direction of church leadership.
Pope Leo XIV, Sarah Mullally Meeting Highlights Divide Over Women’s Roles in Church Leadership
