UK’s first lesbian archbishop hopes to show church ‘can change’

The Most Revd Cherry Vann, at her enthronement, at St Woolos Cathedral on 8 November, 2025. (The Church in Wales)

The UK’s first lesbian archbishop, Cherry Vann, says she’s determined to “speak out for inclusivity and the richness that diversity brings” after being enthroned as the Archbishop of Wales.

“I think the bottom line is that we have to learn to meet each other as human beings,” Vann tells PinkNews of her call for unity in the church.

Vann, the first female and lesbian leader of the Church in Wales, was enthroned as the 15th Archbishop of Wales on 8 November. In a national service at St Woolos Cathedral, Newport, Cherry took her first seat in the Archiepiscopal Chair in front of the High Altar. 

She says the event was a “gloriously inspiring and celebratory day for me and everybody who was there”. 

‘Lets try to understand one another’

Vann received a few prejudiced messages after her election. In response, she tells PinkNews: “They don’t know me. They’ve not bothered to ask how I, as a Christian, reconcile my beliefs and faith with my sexuality.

“My invitation always is, ‘Let’s meet, sit down and have a conversation. Let’s try to understand one another, and at the very least, not demonise one another just because our views are different’.

“I know I am in this role because this is where God wants me to be.”

Vann adds that she wouldn’t have been elected if it wasn’t what was right for the Church in Wales, and that this gives her “confidence, hope and strength to stand where I am, despite the opposition from some quarters.” 

“Issues and politics, and strongly held beliefs – if they lead us to make assumptions about people we’ve never met – get in the way of us relating as human beings if we’re not careful,” she warns. 

Looking ahead, Vann notes that there are meetings within the coming year that will bring leaders together “if they choose to come”, including the enthronement of the new archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, on 25 March, 2026. 

‘It would signal a reluctance to be part of what God is doing’

The announcement of Mullally as the first woman to lead the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion was not well-received by some conservative churches in Africa and Asia.

“I hope that the people [archbishops from across the Anglican community] will come, and that they won’t choose to stay away because of our gender”, Vann says.

“I hope they won’t allow deeply held beliefs to get in the way of what the Spirit of God is doing. It would be desperately sad and signal a reluctance to try and find a way forward and not be part of what God is doing,” she says of the possibility that some might not attend the Canterbury event. 

“I want to bring healing and reconciliation. There are many things that divide us, not just sexuality and gender, and we need to get beyond that. I’d like to rebuild trust, to show that we’re an open and transparent church, prepared to be held accountable by external bodies, and try to rebuild the sense of trust and respect that is so important in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.” 

Despite her positive outlook, Vann admits being part of the LGBTQ+ community within the Anglican Church can be a challenge, and one she has faced herself, having felt forced to keep her relationship with partner Wendy Diamond secret for almost 30 years.

‘The church can, and does, change’

“I hope and pray that the fact I am now here, in a public ministry, will help people recognise the integrity of my faith, that they see I’m a person of deep and profound faith and trust in God, and that the church can, and does, change. 

“It changes slowly. All too slowly for many people, but there is hope: God is bigger than the church. God loves all his children.” 

Vann succeeds Bishop Andrew John, who stood down following two summary reports highlighting safeguarding concerns and misbehaviour at Bangor Cathedral, as reported by the BBC.

John confirmed he would be retiring as Bishop of Bangor on 31 August. Church Times notes that the two reports had recorded concerns about “weak financial controls” and “inappropriate behaviours”. There has been no suggestion that John himself behaved inappropriately. The full reports have not yet been published.

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