UK’s first female Anglican Archbishop elected in Wales

Bishop of Monmouth Cherry Vann was elected yesterday as the new Archbishop of Wales

Bishop Vann, who has been Bishop of Monmouth for five years, secured a two-thirds majority from the Church in Wales electoral college on the second day of its meeting at the St Pierre Church and Hotel in Chepstow to be elected the 15th Archbishop of Wales. 

She succeeds Bishop Andrew John, who retired in July after three and a half years as the leader of the Church in Wales and after two reports raised concerns about issues in Bangor diocese.

Archbishop Cherry, who will continue her duties at Monmouth, will be enthroned at Newport Cathedral on a date yet to be chosen.

Jayne Ozanne, who has long campaigned for LGBTQI+ rights in the Church of England, told The Tablet, “I was thrilled to learn of the church in Wales’ decision to appoint Bishop Cherry Vann as the new Archbishop of Wales.  Archbishop Cherry is a woman of deep faith, integrity and compassion, who knows what it is to be on the receiving end of prejudice and discrimination because of her sexuality. 

“Her appointment will bring hope and joy to many, not just in Wales, but to all those across the wider Anglican Communion who long for a Church that respects and affirms the dignity of all, independent of their sexuality or gender. As a former Ozanne Foundation Trustee, I am personally very grateful to Archbishop Cherry for her encouragement and support through what have often been quite bruising years for us both within the Church of England – I long for a day where being LGBTQI+ is no longer a barrier to preferment within our Church.”

Originally from Leicestershire, Archbishop Vann was ordained as a deacon in 1989. She among the first women to be ordained as a priest in the Church of England in 1994. She then served as Archdeacon of Rochdale, in the Diocese of Manchester, for 11 years. 

She said, “The first thing I shall need to do is to ensure that the issues which have been raised in the last six months are properly addressed and that I work to bring healing and reconciliation, and to build a really good level of trust across the Church and the communities the Church serves.” 

The Church Times reports today, “She has been in a civil partnership with Wendy Diamond since 2015. She told the congregation at a Pride Cymru eucharist in St John’s, Cardiff, in 2021: ‘God has changed and transformed us through the gift of his love for one another.’ The couple attended the 2022 Lambeth Conference together.”

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