TL;DR
- Cherry Vann made history as the first female and openly lesbian Archbishop of Wales.
- She says she received anti-LGBTQ+ messages from Anglican leaders in a global WhatsApp group.
- Nigerian Archbishop Henry Ndukuba refused to “recognise” her appointment.
- Conservative leader Laurent Mbanda called her election “apostasy.”
- Vann says she’s focused on those celebrating her, despite the backlash.
Holy Welcome? Not Quite.
Cherry Vann’s historic rise as the first female — and first openly lesbian — Archbishop of Wales didn’t come with universal applause. In fact, her first days on the job came with a digital slap in the face.
The newly elected leader says that shortly after her July win, she was added to a WhatsApp group with Anglican primates worldwide — a digital clergy cocktail party. But instead of congratulations, she claims she was met with a dose of old-school bigotry.
Henry Ndukuba, the Archbishop of Nigeria, reportedly typed: “We do not recognise the so-called Archbishop of Wales and cannot share communion with a Church that has departed from the teachings of the Bible.” Laurent Mbanda, chairman of the conservative Gafcon bloc, allegedly went further, calling her election an “act of apostasy.”
“It was hurtful,” Vann admitted. “But I rest in the fact that a lot of people are rejoicing, and I know where God wants me to be.”
Breaking the Silence
This isn’t Vann’s first tango with church-based homophobia. Ordained in 1994, she spent nearly three decades hiding her relationship with her partner, Wendy Diamond, out of fear of professional and social ruin. “It was an appalling state of affairs. It felt dishonest, but I didn’t feel I had any choice. I was living in fear,” she recalled.
Her move to Wales brought relief — and the freedom to be open about her life. “It signalled what a massive change it meant being here,” she said. Before this promotion, she served as the Archdeacon of Rochdale and later as the Bishop of Monmouth.
Vann’s election is more than a line in church history books — it’s a bold crack in the centuries-old stained glass ceiling. In a global Anglican community often divided over LGBTQ rights, her appointment signals progress in some corners, even as other branches cling to tradition with white-knuckled fervor.
Her presence in the pulpit is a visible reminder to LGBTQ believers that faith and identity are not mutually exclusive — even if some church leaders want to keep it that way. For queer people of faith, Vann stands as proof that you can love God and your partner without apology, no matter how loud the opposition in the group chat gets.