Britain will name a new Archbishop of Canterbury on Friday to lead the Church of England, mother church of 85 million Anglicans worldwide, and for the first time the centuries-old institution could be led by a woman.

Reforms under former leader Justin Welby, who resigned last year over a child abuse cover-up scandal, paved the way for women to be consecrated as bishops a decade ago, a change that now makes it possible for a woman to hold office as the senior-most bishop in England’s established church.

“It would be incredibly exciting if the new Archbishop were a woman. That would be the first time in a history dating back to 597 AD… It would be momentous,” David Monteith, the Dean of Canterbury, told the BBC.

As dean, he will place the new Archbishop in their seat of authority during a

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