The Most Rev Cherry Vann, newly appointed Archbishop of Wales, has described gay marriage in church as “inevitable” while recounting her decades-long struggle with hiding her sexuality within the Anglican Church.
The Most Rev Cherry Vann, newly appointed Archbishop of Wales, has described gay marriage in church as “inevitable” while recounting her decades-long struggle with hiding her sexuality within the Anglican Church. Vann, 66, is the UK’s first female archbishop and the first openly gay bishop to serve as primate in the Anglican Communion.
In an interview with The Guardian, she reflected on reconciling her private identity with public ministry. “Without the strong belief that God had called me to the priesthood. I would not have survived,” she said.
Vann, ordained in 1994, revealed she kept her relationship with Wendy Diamond, her partner of over 30 years, secret due to fear of backlash. “Now, Wendy joins me everywhere… but in England she had to stay upstairs if I had a meeting,” she said.
While affirming change is coming, Vann added, “Gay marriage in church is inevitable… the question is when,” stressing unity amid theological differences within the Anglican Communion.