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The Archbishop of Wales has said that some parishioners have chosen to leave the Church in Wales in protest over her sexuality and gender.
The Most Reverend Cherry Vann, who is also Bishop of Monmouth, became both the UK’s first female Archbishop as well as the first openly gay Archbishop in the world, in July.
Speaking ahead of delivering her first Christmas message as Archbishop, she said she had been hurt by attacks over her sexuality, but added those with different opinions should not be forbidden from expressing their views.
It follows the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Gafcon) describing her appointment as “another painful nail in the coffin of Anglican orthodoxy”.
Speaking to Wales, the Archbishop said: “There are still patches all over the place where people continue to struggle with women in leadership and I have to respect that.
“The Church in Wales is working hard to welcome LGBT+ people, but also I respect that there are people in the Church in Wales who find that really difficult.
“Some, sadly, have felt the need to leave and I take that very seriously”.
Archbishop Vann was elected by her fellow bishops with a two-thirds majority, following the retirement of her predecessor, Andrew John, in the summer.
He retired after issues with safeguarding, excessive drinking and church members overstepping sexual boundaries came to light at Bangor Cathedral.
Archbishop Vann said the vast majority of people had been supportive about her election, but added others had been “quite hostile”.
“It can be very hurtful”, she said.
“It’s hard to hear some of the things that people say, but I think it’s important that there is the space for them to say that.
“I don’t want people to feel shut down or silenced just because I hold a different view.
“But it does nevertheless hurt because it feels like an attack on who I am and who God has made me to be.
“We have to find a way as a Church to respect one another’s views and find a commonality in our faith in Christ, despite our differences”.
Archbishop Vann said that despite the widespread interest in her election because of her sex and gender, they were not the most important things to her.
“Other people find it fascinating”, she said.
“I had a lot of people contact me rejoicing at my election and saying how much hope and strength they get from the fact that there is now a woman in the role – and a civilly partnered woman at that.
“I’ve had the opposite as well. That’s just life”.
In her Christmas message, the Archbishop said she had chosen a passage from the Gospel of John about finding light in the darkness, a popular choice at carol services.
“It’s really about how the coming of Jesus into the world is the light in the darkness – and there’s plenty of darkness around in the world at the moment”, she said.
“Our message as Christians is that Jesus comes into all that difficulty and despair and brings the light of hope and love and joy, because of who he is”.
After a turbulent year for the Church in Wales, Archbishop Vann said she was very conscious of her responsibility to fix the issues that led to her predecessor’s departure.
Asked whether her time as Archbishop should be judged against her ability to change the culture within the Church, she said it presented a significant challenge.
“I think there is a big cultural issue in the Church”, she said.
“Anybody who has tried to change the culture in an organisation will tell you it takes a long time.
“This is a big thing and I guess that there will still be work to do when I retire.
“(We need) to take a greater care for those who have been damaged by the Church, of which sadly there are many.
“But I am hopeful that we are already making changes.
“There are many people who are determined to make a difference and ensure that the Church is a place where, when things go wrong, they are dealt with properly”.
