NO ONE within the Church in Wales had been left unaffected by a “seismic change” within the lifetime of the Province that had brought “pain and confusion” to many, the Archbishop of Wales, the Most Revd Cherry Vann, has said.
She was addressing the Governing Body on Thursday, the primary day of its two-day meeting in Newport.
The reference was to the immediate retirement of the Most Revd Andrew John as Archbishop and Bishop of Bangor in June, following his unqualified apology for recent failings at Bangor Cathedral (News, 28 June).
It was a presidential address notable for its clarity, steadfastness of purpose, and humility, through which the Archbishop urged the Church to are inclined to its core purpose as God’s Church; its relationships with each other, and individually with God; and to see difference and variety “not as a threat, but as a present that enriches and which may be transformative”.
She acknowledged herself “overwhelmed, encouraged, and heartened by those that have assured me of their prayers, particularly those that can’t accept the ordination of girls, never mind a girl within the role of Bishop and Archbishop; and others who struggle with the incontrovertible fact that there’s now an Archbishop in Wales who shouldn’t be only a member of the LGBTQI+ community, but resides in a civil partnership.
“Thank you in your graciousness and for the peace of mind of your prayers. It gives me hope that, amidst all our differences, we are able to reach out to 1 one other in prayer and so construct a hopeful future together.”
She paid tribute to the previous Archbishop for “encouraging a give attention to prayer, reflection, and honest conversation. Under his leadership, we [the bishops] have steadily been capable of be more open and vulnerable with each other, and to softly challenge one another once we feel the necessity.”
In an address that laid strong emphasis on the necessity for interconnectedness, she recalled her former position as Chaplain to the Deaf community in Manchester, into which she had gone “filled with enthusiasm, wanting to work with this marginalised group of individuals, but with attitudes and assumptions that I later realised were each boastful and patronising.
“There are so many groups of people who find themselves marginalised in our world today, and on this country of Wales, who’ve been pushed to the sidelines, made to feel they’re not valued, had their voices silenced or not heard; people who find themselves living in poverty, who’re homeless, who are suffering with their mental health, who’re ultimately disabled, and others due to their sexuality and gender.
“We must are inclined to our attitudes, our behaviours, our assumptions, and unconscious biases, that may so often get in the best way of God’s love being shown and shared.”
An Oxford University student had asked her how the Church — in the sunshine of the rise of right-wing extremism and divisive rhetoric, and “particularly after Wales has recently seen the biggest conference of the Reform Party to this point” — could counter exclusionary narratives and foster unity, safety, and belonging for all who wished to worship.
The Church was called to talk out for peace, reconciliation, and community cohesion, she said; to “love our neighbour as ourselves . . . even those with whom you vehemently disagree.” She recounted her experience within the ’90s as a member of a bunch of 4 ordained women and 4 ordained men who had felt “indignant, betrayed, and isolated at the choice the Church had taken”.
They had met thrice a 12 months to hope, share lunch, and talk. “Not to try to change one another’s minds, but to hunt a way forward together that one way or the other modelled our unity in Christ, despite our strong and seemingly irreconcilable views.” The first few years had been “intensely awkward and uncomfortable”, but, within the friendship developed over 25 years, “we found healing, and a way of belonging together.”
She continued: “We have a chance to do something similar here within the Church of Wales: not only as we discuss same-sex relationships and equal marriage, but as we face the various other challenges that lie ahead.
“How will we live together as ministry/mission areas, as dioceses, as a province, in a way that’s more interconnected and interdependent? How will we be sure that power is used well and properly, that we are able to hold each other to account, and that we cope with each other, at all times with compassion and humility — treating each other as we ourselves would love to be treated?
“Our story is compromised once we are seen to be protecting ourselves, hiding uncomfortable truths, and keeping silent within the face of wrongdoing. Our mission is undermined when what people see as Christians aren’t capable of practise what we preach, even amongst ourselves.
“My prayer for these next three years is that, individually and together, across the entire of the Province of Wales, we’d allow ourselves to be shaped and altered to turn into ever more Christlike in our lives, in our relationships with each other, and within the mission that God has entrusted to us.”
