Church of Wales chooses first female Archbishop in historic vote

Cherry Vann, the Bishop of Monmouth, has been elected as the new Archbishop of Wales, making history as the United Kingdom’s first female archbishop and its first openly LGBTQ+ church leader in Wales. Her election marks a significant and symbolic break from recent safeguarding scandals that have shaken the Church in Wales.

The 66-year-old bishop was chosen on July 30 after a two-day deliberation by an electoral college composed of clergy and lay representatives at St Pierre church near Chepstow, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

 Vann succeeds Andy John, who stepped down in June amid mounting calls for his resignation following reports exposing a culture of excessive drinking, bullying, and sexual misconduct at Bangor Cathedral. There is no suggestion that John himself engaged in inappropriate behaviour. Last month, John issued an “unreserved and unequivocal” personal apology, stating, “I repent and offer no excuses nor justifications,” and took full responsibility for the failings during his leadership.

Vann, originally from Whetstone in Leicestershire, has a distinguished ecclesiastical career. She was ordained as one of the first female priests in the Church of England in 1994 and became a bishop in the Church in Wales in 2020, after 11 years as archdeacon of Rochdale in the diocese of Manchester. Prior to her theological career, Vann studied at the Royal College of Music and the Royal Schools of Music before entering Anglican theological college in 1986.

Her appointment coincides with the Church of England’s ongoing process to select a new Archbishop of Canterbury following Justin Welby’s resignation last November amid abuse scandal criticism. Some senior church figures reportedly favour a female archbishop, viewing it as a symbol of renewal after decades of conflict over gender, sexuality, and abuse issues.

While the Church in Wales does not permit same-sex marriages, it allows clergy to enter same-sex civil partnerships. In 2021, the church approved blessings for same-sex civil marriages and partnerships on a trial basis, expected to be reviewed soon, with possible steps towards formalising gay marriage next spring.

Vann is the 15th Archbishop of Wales and was elected from among five eligible serving Welsh diocesan bishops by a college of three elected clerics and three laypeople from all six dioceses. Traditionally, the longest-serving bishop is chosen, which would have been Gregory Cameron, Bishop of St Asaph.

The new archbishop will be enthroned at St Gwynllyw Cathedral in Monmouth at a later date, ushering in a new chapter for the Church in Wales.

By Vafa Guliyeva