New Archbishop of Wales: “Gay Marriage in Church Is Inevitable”

The Most Rev Cherry Vann, the new Archbishop of Wales, has said that same-sex marriage in church is only a matter of time.

Vann, 66, made the comment in an interview with The Guardian, where she also spoke candidly about keeping her sexuality secret for decades while trying to gain acceptance as a female priest in the Anglican church.

Ordained in 1994 as one of the Church of England’s first female priests, Vann has now become the UK’s first female and openly gay archbishop—and the first openly lesbian, partnered bishop to serve as a primate in the Anglican communion.

She said her sense of calling kept her going during tough years.

“I would not have survived if I hadn’t had a strong belief that God was calling me to this.”

Vann describes herself not as a campaigner but as someone who tries to stay true to what she believes God expects of her.

“It just happens that I’ve lived in a time that’s made me a trailblazer,” she said.

She’s been working in the Church in Wales since 2020, which she says is very different from the Church of England, especially when it comes to LGBTQ+ clergy. In Wales, clergy can be in same-sex civil partnerships, whereas in England, gay priests are technically allowed to be in relationships but are expected to remain celibate.

Vann made her relationship with Wendy Diamond—her partner of 30 years—public when she became bishop of Monmouth in 2019.

“For years, we kept it secret. I was always worried we’d be outed by the press. In England, Wendy had to stay upstairs if I had clergy over for meetings. Now she goes with me everywhere. It’s just normal.”

She says being a woman in the church was already hard enough.

“You can hide your sexuality, up to a point, but you can’t hide being a woman. The backlash from men was intense—they felt betrayed.”

In the 1990s, Vann and a few other female priests began holding regular discussions with male clergy who opposed their ordination.

“It was awful. But we stuck with it. Over time, that hostility eased. That’s what I hope happens around sexuality too. We may disagree deeply, but we can still recognise each other as fellow children of God.”

Vann succeeds Archbishop Andy John, who resigned in June following scandals involving financial misconduct, bullying, and sexual misconduct at Bangor Cathedral. John wasn’t personally accused of wrongdoing, but pressure mounted after summaries of two investigations were published and six serious incident reports were sent to the Charity Commission.

Vann says her main focus now is “healing and reconciliation.”

“We haven’t stood still—work is already underway. We need to rebuild trust with people who feel hurt and let down.”

Despite her historic appointment, Vann remains cautious on the divisive issue of same-sex marriage in the Anglican communion.

“I don’t personally feel the need to get married in church—Wendy and I have made our vows. But gay marriage in church is inevitable. The question is when. Some people are strongly opposed, and as archbishop, I have to honour their position too. It’s not my job to push something through that could alienate a large part of the clergy.”