The Anglican Church has installed lesbian priest Cherry Vann as the new Archbishop of Wales, becoming the first woman to be appointed into the post in the history of the denomination. 

Ms Vann was formally enthroned in a national service held at the Saint Woolos Cathedral in Newport, Wales last Saturday following her controversial election by the Electoral College of the Church in Wales in July.

The 67-year-old’s emergence as Wales’ archbishop immediately drew sharp condemnations from some of the church, including the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), which faulted her election as abandonment of faith while warning that faithful Christians to reject and condemn those who would compromise biblical teachings.

“The recent election of The Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann on Wednesday, 30th July, 2025, as Archbishop of Wales is a further indication and abandonment of the faith once delivered to the saints, Bishop Vann being a practising homosexual,” Henry Ndukuba, the archbishop and primate of the Church of Nigeria, said in statement following the announcement of the decision earlier this year. 

Mr Ndukuba added, “Thus, that an openly lesbian woman is the ‘right leader for the moment’ in the Church of Wales shows how deep the church has sunk,” said the Church of Nigeria primate. “Rather than advocating reconciliation as being championed by the new Archbishop of Wales, the important matter of the moment should be a call for genuine repentance.”

Sharing her experience since moving to Wales, Ms Vann narrated how she had to hide her sexuality. She stated that she spent a whole part of her life hiding her identity not to be ousted as a lesbian while stressing that sometimes her partner Wendy Diamond had to hide upstairs whenever there were visitors to conceal their relationship.

“Looking back, it was awful to have to live like that,” Ms Vann said. “When you have spent your whole life hiding part of who you are, and being careful to not give away signs, it becomes second nature, and it was just a norm for us. That is how we learned to live. Although it was a pain and inconvenient, it was just what we did.”

Speaking further, the archbishop said that she has been able to embrace her true identity since moving to Wales, adding that her partner no longer has to hide from the public, which she said would have been impossible if they were still in England. 

“It was not good, certainly not for Wendy but she is now able to come to the front door with me in Wales and welcome people to the party we held when I arrived here as though she could belong by my side as my partner in a way we would never be able to do in England,” she added.