Archbishop to pray for those in meningitis outbreak

The new Archbishop of Canterbury has said she will pray for those affected by the meningitis outbreak in Kent during a six-day pilgrimage ahead of her installation service.

Dame Sarah Mullally is the first woman to hold the role and the first of the Church of England's top bishops in modern history to undertake the historic 87-mile (140km) trek.

She set off from St Paul's Cathedral in London on Tuesday to waves and cheers from well-wishers and is to arrive at Canterbury Cathedral on Sunday.

Before embarking, Dame Sarah said she would also be thinking of everyone in "this fractured world" who "wakes up under the threat of violence and conflict."

The former bishop of London will walk along stretches of the Thames Path, the Via Britannica and the Augustine Camino, which is the pilgrimage path celebrating the conversion of English-speaking people to Christianity.

During the pilgrimage, her group will join prayer services at churches, cathedrals and abbeys, as well as meeting with other pilgrims and visiting schools.

Dame Sarah's enthronement will then take place on 25 March at Canterbury Cathedral, during which the Prince of Wales will deputise for his father Charles who, as King, is supreme governor of the Church of England.

Dame Sarah called the pilgrimage "an opportunity to pray for those that I encounter", along with "the people in Canterbury affected by meningitis, and everyone responding to it".

A sixth form pupil at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Faversham and a student at the University of Kent have died in the outbreak, with 15 confirmed cases in the Canterbury area.

Asked if there would be any safety measures in place for her installation service, she said: "The outbreak of meningitis is being overseen and managed by the UK Health Security Agency and clearly we're in conversation with them.

"At the moment, there is nothing we have to put in place. But, of course, we're keeping in contact with UKHSA."

Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.