Pope Leo meets Sarah Mullally, first woman to be archbishop of Canterbury

The Washington Post reports on a historic Vatican meeting between Pope Leo XIV and Sarah Mullally, the first woman to serve as Archbishop of Canterbury, with the article noting upfront that the Pope has shown no intention of changing Catholic doctrine on female ordination. The reporting is sourced from the major outlet and bylined to Anthony Faiola; the description is specific about the substantive issue at stake (women's ordination doctrine) rather than treating the meeting as purely ceremonial. Corroborating coverage from Reuters, AP News, France 24, and the National Catholic Reporter all confirm the meeting occurred on Monday, April 27, 2026, with Reuters and AP adding detail that the leaders exchanged gifts and prayed together, while NCR emphasizes the symbolic weight of a female Anglican leader meeting with a male-only Catholic priesthood. The WaPo framing—leading with papal intransigence on doctrine—differs subtly in tone from AP's emphasis on the Pope's stated commitment to dialogue, suggesting the article takes a more cautious view of the encounter's significance. Watch for any joint statements or communiqués from the Vatican and Canterbury office, and monitor whether this meeting yields concrete steps toward Anglican-Catholic reconciliation on doctrinal issues including women's ordination.