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CofE priest erupts during election service of first female archbishop of Canterbury: 'I object!'

By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, January 29, 2026.

Quick Summary

• A priest was removed from the election service of Dame Sarah Mullally as the frst archbishop of Canterbury after shouting, 'I object!                                                                                                    The Rev. Paul Williamson has opposed the ordination of women and claimed his objection was related to Mullally's alleged false allegations against a clergyman who killed himself.Mullally's formal installation is scheduled for March 25, amid ongoing divisions within the Anglican Communion over its leftward drift on homosexuality and female ordination.  

Bishop Sarah Mullally poses for a photograph in The Corona Chapel at Canterbury Cathedral, southeast England, on Oct. 3, 2025. | BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images

An Anglican priest was removed from the formal election service of Dame Sarah Mullally as the first female archbishop of Canterbury at St. Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday after he shouted his objection to her confirmation.

The Rev. Paul Williamson, who was ordained in 1973 and has since been outspoken against the ordination of women, shouted, "I object!" during the service before he was removed, according to Church Times.

Election of first female Archbishop of Canterbury confirmed at St Paul’s... ‘Continue to be the person who exercises the gifts, wisdom, and experience that your life has given you,’ Archbi...

Williamson's eruption, the rest of which was inaudible, came during the part of the ceremony when the proctor, who represents the College of Canons of Canterbury Cathedral, declared: "No person has appeared in opposition to the Confirmation."