Church of England appoints first woman bishop

The Church of England has announced its first appointment of a female bishop, choosing Cheshire vicar the Reverend Libby Lane to be the new Bishop of Stockport, 20 years after it first ordained a female priest.The issue, which had divided the church, was finally voted through earlier this year after original proposals were defeated by the laity in 2012, and is symbolic of wider change in the church under the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. Following the vote, he said the church was entering “a completely new phase of our existence”.Ms Lane was ordained as a priest in 1994, and was one of eight female clergy to have been elected as participant observers in the House of Bishops. In a statement, she said she was “grateful, though somewhat daunted by, the confidence placed in me by the Diocese of Chester”.

The appointment of women bishops has been fiercely opposed by traditionalists — some of whom have joined the Catholic church in protest — despite the growing role of women in the clergy. Women now account for a little more than a fifth of the Church of England’s 7,800 priests, and the wider Anglican church has 29 female bishops worldwide.

The 2012 motion was defeated by just a handful of votes, prompting then-Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams to proclaim that the church had “lost a measure of credibility”.

The church formally adopted the new legislation in November. Ms Lane will be consecrated as the eighth bishop of Stockport at a ceremony in York Minster on 26 January next year, serving as a suffragan (assistant bishop), which means she cannot enter the House of Lords as a diocesan bishop could.

Membership of the Lords Spiritual is restricted to 26 members even though the church has 44 dioceses, with the longest-serving bishops taking precedence.

Describing the announcement as “a historic day for the Church of England” she added: “I am very conscious of all those who have gone before me, women and men, who for decades have looked forward to this moment. But most of all I am thankful to God.”

In a speech made at the town hall in Stockport on Wednesday shortly after her appointment was announced, she appeared to address those who were opposed to female bishops by saying that Christmas was a time for “pondering unexpected joy”.

Stating that she recognised that change could be distressing, and that the unexpected was often feared, she added that the unexpected message of Christmas — “that God should make himself known to us as a baby in Bethlehem” — should bring “not fear, but joy”, repeating the message delivered by the angels to the shepherds of “do not be afraid”.

“I will be praying that the unexpected heralds great joy,” she added.

The Archbishop of Canterbury said: “I am absolutely delighted that Libby has been appointed to succeed Bishop Robert Atwell as Bishop of Stockport. Her Christ-centred life, calmness and clear determination to serve the church and the community make her a wonderful choice.”

An Oxford university graduate, Ms Lane trained for the ministry at Cranmer Hall in Durham and served her curacy in Blackburn, Lancashire.

She is married to a priest — the Rev George Lane, who is the chaplain of Manchester airport — and they were one of the first married couples in the Church of England to be ordained together. The couple have two grown-up children who are both in higher education.

On the website of her parish church, St Peter’s Hale, Ms Lane lists her interests as being a school governor, encouraging social action initiatives, learning to play the saxophone and supporting Manchester United.