Some have left the church because I am a gay woman, says Archbishop

The Archbishop of Wales has said some parishioners have chosen to leave the Church in Wales in protest against his sexuality and gender.

The Reverend Cherry Vann, who is also Bishop of Monmouth, is both the United Kingdom’s first female Archbishop and first openly gay Archbishop in the worldin July.

Speaking ahead of delivering her first Christmas message as Archbishop, she said she had been hurt by attacks over her sexuality, but added those with different opinions should not be forbidden from expressing their views.

This is how the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Gafcon) describes the ordination: “Another painful nail in the coffin of Anglican orthodoxy”“.

Speaking to BBC Wales, the Archbishop said: “There are still points everywhere where people struggle with women’s leadership and I have to respect that.

“The Church in Wales works hard to welcome LGBT+ people, but I also respect that there are people in the Church in Wales who find this really difficult.

“Some unfortunately felt the need to leave and I take this very seriously.”

Archbishop Vann was elected by his fellow bishops by a two-thirds majority following the summer retirement of his predecessor, Andrew John.

HE The bodyguard retired after problems with excessive drinking and church members crossing sexual boundaries It came to light in Bangor Cathedral.

Archbishop Vann said the vast majority of people supported his election, but others were “quite hostile.”

“It can be very painful,” he said.

“It’s hard to hear some of the things people say, but I think it’s important to have a space where they can say it.

“I don’t want people to feel shut down or silenced because I have a different opinion.

“But it still hurts because it feels like an attack on who I am and who God created me to be.

“As a church, we must find a way to respect each other’s views and find commonality in our faith in Christ despite our differences.”

Despite widespread interest in her being chosen because of her sex and gender, Archbishop Vann said these were not the most important things to her.

“Other people find it fascinating,” he said.

“So many people have contacted me to welcome my choice and tell me how much hope and strength they get from the fact that there is now a woman in this role, and a woman with a civil partner.

“I experienced the exact opposite. That’s life.”

In his Christmas message, the archbishop said he chose a passage from the Gospel of John about finding light in darkness, a popular choice in carol services.

“It’s really about the light in the darkness of Jesus coming into the world — and there’s a lot of darkness in the world right now,” he said.

“Our message as Christians is that Jesus walked into all of this hardship and despair and brought the light of hope, love and joy because of who he is.”

After a tumultuous year for the Church in Wales, Archbishop Vann said he was conscious of his responsibility to resolve the issues that led to his predecessor’s departure.

Asked whether his time as archbishop should be judged on his ability to change the culture within the Church, he said this presented a significant challenge.

“I think there is a big cultural problem in the church,” he said.

“Anyone who has tried to change the culture in an organization will tell you that it takes a long time.

“This is a big thing and I think there will still be work to do when I retire.

“We must pay more attention to those who have been harmed by the church, and unfortunately there are many of them.

“But I hope we are already making changes.

“There are many people who are determined to make a difference and to ensure that the Church is a place where when things go wrong they can be dealt with appropriately.”