Cherry Vann Becomes First Female, Lesbian Archbishop
The bishop of Monmouth, Cherry Vann, has been elected as the new archbishop of Wales, becoming the first woman and the first openly lesbian cleric to lead an Anglican province in the United Kingdom.
Vann, 66, was chosen on Wednesday after an electoral college made up of clergy and laypersons met for two days of deliberations at St Pierre church near Chepstow.
“I am deeply humbled and honoured. This is not just a personal milestone—it’s a sign of how far the Church has come and a challenge to all of us to continue breaking down barriers,” Vann said in a statement following her election.
Andy John, the former archbishop, announced in June that he was standing down with immediate effect after calls for his resignation gathered pace after two reports that revealed a culture of excessive drinking, bullying and sexual misconduct at Bangor Cathedral.
There is no suggestion that John, who became archbishop in 2021, behaved inappropriately.
Last month, he issued an “unreserved and unequivocal” personal apology regarding “the situation”, saying he took full responsibility for failings under his leadership. “I repent and offer no excuses nor justifications,” he added.
In addition, six “serious incident reports” were sent to the Charity Commission in the past 18 months, four relating to safeguarding and two relating to financial matters.
Financial irregularities reportedly include more than £400,000 spent on new furnishings for the cathedral with inadequate consultation, and £20,000 for trips to Rome and Dublin for senior staff.
Many of the concerns about Bangor centred on a period when Siôn Rhys Evans was its acting dean, in effect, chief executive, while continuing in post as secretary of the Bangor diocese. Both posts are senior full-time jobs, and it is unprecedented for one person to manage both sets of responsibilities. In February 2024, Rhys Evans stepped back from both roles without explanation.
Two members of the cathedral’s college of priests have called for an independent inquiry into events at Bangor.
Vann, originally from Whetstone in Leicestershire, became a bishop in the Church in Wales in 2020, following 11 years as archdeacon of Rochdale in the diocese of Manchester. In 1994, she was among the first women in the Church of England to be ordained as a priest.
The archbishop-elect studied at the Royal College of Music and the Royal Schools of Music before entering an Anglican theological college in 1986.
Vann’s appointment comes as the Church of England is in a drawn-out process to choose a new archbishop of Canterbury following Justin Welby’s resignation last November after he was criticised in a report on a major abuse scandal. His successor is expected to be named in the autumn.
The archbishop of Canterbury is the most senior cleric in the country and the leader of the global 80 million-strong Anglican church, of which the Church in Wales is a self-governing province.
Some senior figures in the Church of England are believed to favour a female archbishop, arguing that this would signal a new beginning and a more modern church after decades of acrimonious rows over gender, sexuality, as well as abuse scandals. A few might be irked that the Welsh church has beaten them to it.
Vann’s sexuality could be controversial in the global church, which is deeply divided on the issue; most African provinces are staunchly opposed to same-sex marriage. In 2017, global church leaders imposed de facto sanctions on the Anglican church in Scotland after it voted in favour of allowing same-sex couples to marry in church.
The archbishop-elect is a patron of the Open Table Network, an ecumenical Christian community for LGBTQ+ people and their allies, and previously held senior positions in the governance of the Church of England. Her biography describes her as living with her civil partner and their two dogs.
Same-sex marriages are not allowed in the Church in Wales, but clergy are permitted to be in same-sex civil partnerships.
