Sarah Mullally: Choice of new Archbishop of Canterbury met "with sorrow" by conservative group Gafcon

The group, Gafcon, says that its followers believe "the Bible requires a male-only episcopacy".

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But Friday's choice – for the first time ever - of a woman as the spiritual leader of both the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion already seems like it may exacerbate the deep fissures within that community.

The Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Gafcon), which is a network of conservative Anglican churches across Africa and Asia, received the news "with sorrow".

The Church of Southern Africa, on the other hand, called the appointment "historic" and said "we heartily welcome the announcement".

The Church of England – which some people call "The Mother Church" because it was the first Anglican Church – is broadly considered to have moved in a more liberal direction than some churches elsewhere, not least in Africa, where it is estimated that two-thirds of Anglicans live.