A new Archbishop of Wales has been elected today, 30 July 2025.

Cherry Vann who has served as the Bishop of Monmouth for the past five years, has been chosen as the 15th Archbishop of Wales. She succeeds Bishop Andrew John who retired in July after three and a half years as the leader of the Church in Wales.

Archbishop Cherry was elected having secured a two-thirds majority vote from members of the Electoral College on the second day of its meeting at the St Pierre Church and Hotel in Chepstow. The election was confirmed by the other diocesan bishops and announced by the Senior Bishop, Bishop Gregory Cameron of St Asaph. Archbishop Cherry will be enthroned at Newport Cathedral in due course. As Archbishop she will continue to serve as Bishop of Monmouth.

Originally from Leicestershire, Archbishop Cherry Vann was consecrated as Bishop of Monmouth in 2020. Cherry was ordained as a deacon in 1989. She was then among the first women to be ordained as a priest in the Church of England in 1994. She then served as Archdeacon of Rochdale, in the Diocese of Manchester, for 11 years.

She said, “The first thing I shall need to do is to ensure that the issues which have been raised in the last six months are properly addressed and that I work to bring healing and reconciliation, and to build a really good level of trust across the Church and the communities the Church serves.”

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Comment

The office of Archbishop of Wales has existed since disestablishment in 1920, when the Church ceased to be part of the Church of England.  Archbishop Cherry is the third not to be born in Wales. In 2019, she told the South Wales Argus that she was hoping to learn Welsh. For further details, see the Church Times, here.

The Most Reverend Dr Laurent Mbanda, Archbishop of Rwanda and Chairman, Gafcon Primates Council, commented: Archbishop of Wales Election Shatters the Communion.

Updated: 2 August 2025 at 08:40.