Sarah Mullally has been confirmed as the Archbishop of Canterbury, three months after becoming the first woman to hold the role since the Church of England’s inception approximately 1,400 years ago.

Mullally’s appointment was announced during a ceremony at St Paul Cathedral in London on Wednesday.

She welcomed the appointment as “an extraordinary and humbling privilege”.

“With God’s help, I will seek to guide Christ’s flock with calmness, consistency and compassion,” the new archbishop said, stressing the need for such leadership in these “times of division and uncertainty for our fractured world”.

Mullally’s confirmation service included worldwide versions, which was viewed as a unifying act for the church’s diverse population.

The St Paul’s Cathedral choir sang hymns, a Xhosa South African chant was performed, and a student read in both English and Portuguese, the primary spoken language in the Anglican provinces of Mozambique and Angola, with whom the diocese of London has a pastoral relationship.

Justin Welby’s resignation over his refusal to disclose a persistent child abuser left the church without a leader for over a year.

Mullally was announced as Welby’s replacement last October.

The new archbishop formerly worked as a nurse in London hospitals, rising to the positions of chief nursing officer for England and director of patient experience in the NHS.

She is currently the spiritual head of 85 million Anglicans worldwide. Her installation is expected in March.