'I've had wonderful support from women', says incoming Archbishop of Canterbury

"One of the wonderful things over the last couple of months is I've had hundreds and hundreds of letters of support," says the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury.

Dame Sarah Mullally - who will be the first woman to hold the position - says many of the letters she has received have been from women, who talk of the way her nomination to lead the Church of England has had an impact on them.

"I had a wonderful letter from an ordained woman who said the announcement of my appointment was the first time that she felt affirmed as a priest," she told BBC Radio 4.

Dame Sarah was in conversation with former Prime Minister Theresa May, guest editor of the Today Programme for New Year's Eve.

There had been "difficult moments" in the Church as a woman, Dame Sarah acknowledged, just as she experienced in the NHS and in government - in her position as chief nursing officer for England.

A ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral in January will see her election confirmed, and in March she will be formally installed as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury at Canterbury Cathedral.

There is some opposition not just to a woman leading the Church, but to women becoming priests at all in the wider Anglican Communion, both in the UK and abroad.

Dame Sarah told Theresa May her approach has always been to encourage clergy in their ministries, even if they were theologically opposed to the ordination of women.

"I believe that, for this time particularly, we do need leaders who are collegiate, who are collaborative," she said, adding that part of her preparation for her new role was to listen.

The Church should take a similar listening approach to divisions in wider British society, she said, particularly around immigration and identity.

"People do feel insecure, their identity has been challenged and we shouldn't ignore that, but churches, I think, have the opportunity to listen to that," said the incoming archbishop.

"Churches are [also] very good at trying to create that sort of interfaith conversation in the community."

Dame Sarah has long-voiced strong opposition to any legalisation of assisted dying - and remained unequivocal on the issue during her Radio 4 interview.

Her view is informed by sitting alongside "many people who have died", in her roles as both a nurse and a priest, said Dame Sarah - who has had a seat in the House of Lords since becoming Bishop of London in 2018.

Amendments to proposed legislation are currently being considered - but Dame Sarah told Theresa May that nothing would make the bill safe enough to "protect the most vulnerable in our society".

"Those who support the bill talk about choice. I'm not sure we have choice - we don't properly fund palliative care, we don't properly fund palliative-care research," she said.

"I'm worried that people may make a decision for assisted dying because they're not having the right palliative care or the right social care."

While her fellow senior bishops in the House of Lords appear united in having a similar outlook, recent polls suggest that view is out of kilter with the majority of the British public who support assisted dying in some circumstances.

A survey commissioned by one lobby group in favour of such a move suggests 69% of Christians support a change in the law.

Baroness May went on to ask about safeguarding in the Church of England, and Dame Sarah said "we are truly sorry" for the "significant safeguarding failures" within the institution.

"Reaching out to the marginalised, the vulnerable, being safe, is at the heart of what I believe in terms of my Christian faith," said the incoming archbishop.

It was Theresa May who announced the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), while she was home secretary in 2014. The seven-year inquiry was highly critical of the Church of England in its findings.

The previous Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, stood down a year ago after being accused of failing to follow up information about abuse. The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, has been interim Church leader since, but he too has faced questions over his handling of an abuse case.

The Church is now considering a complaint against the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury over her handling of an abuse allegation during her tenure as Bishop of London.

In her Radio 4 interview, Dame Sarah said progress had been made on safeguarding in the past decade - she also spoke of her support for the future introduction of some independence into Church safeguarding procedures.

"I think that we still have to work to restore trust in us and I think that [independent safeguarding professionals] would be a significant step."