LONDON — Bishop Cherry Vann has been elected as archbishop of the Church in Wales, becoming the first woman and LGBTQ cleric appointed to lead any of Britain’s Anglican churches.
While the broader, international Anglican Communion has had openly gay bishops before, most notably Gene Robinson in the United States, Vann will be the first lesbian to serve as archbishop globally.
The Church in Wales, which broke away from the Church of England in 1920, elected Vann to the post on Wednesday.
Vann was among the first women ordained as priests in the Church of England in 1994 and later served as Archdeacon of Rochdale, in northern England, before moving to Wales.
She is affiliated with the Open Table Network, a Christian initiative that offers worship and support for LGBTQ people.
According to her official biography, Vann lives with her civil partner, Wendy, and the couple’s two dogs. While the Church in Wales does not conduct same-sex marriages, it permits clergy to enter into civil partnerships.
Vann will replace Andrew John, who resigned in June following the publication of two internal church reports in May which raised concerns about governance and safeguarding. There was no suggestion of any wrongdoing by John.
“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,” Vann, 66, said in her first statement after her appointment.
