The Bishop of Monmouth, Cherry Vann, has been elected as the new archbishop of Wales, becoming the UK’s first female archbishop and first LGBTQ+ leader in the church in Wales in a symbolic break with recent safeguarding scandals.
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.
Andy John, the former archbishop, announced in June that he was standing down with immediate effect after calls for his resignation gathered pace following internal reports revealing 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 said.
Vann 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 the first woman in the church of England to be ordained as a priest.
Her biography describes her as living with her civil partner, Wendy, and their two dogs.
