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Cherry Vann becomes first woman and LGBTQ+ cleric named archbishop in Britain
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on July 31, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
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Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on July 31, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Cherry Vann is elected as the first woman and LGBTQ+ archbishop in Britain's Anglican churches, marking a historic moment.
(Refiles to edit headline)
LONDON (Reuters) -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.
(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti;Editing by Helen Popper)
Cherry Vann is the newly elected archbishop of the Church in Wales, making history as the first woman and LGBTQ+ cleric to lead any of Britain's Anglican churches.
Vann's appointment is historic as she is the first lesbian to serve as archbishop globally, marking a significant milestone for LGBTQ+ representation in religious leadership.
Vann has stated that addressing governance and safeguarding issues raised in recent internal church reports will be her top priority in her new role.
The Open Table Network is a Christian initiative that provides worship and support for LGBTQ+ individuals, with which Vann is affiliated.
Before her appointment as archbishop, Vann served as the Archdeacon of Rochdale in northern England and was one of the first women ordained as priests in the Church of England.
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