New bishop is set to be consecrated
A NEW bishop to help the Church of England engage with minority ethnic communities across Leicestershire is to be consecrated.
The Reverend Canon Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani will become the first ever Bishop of Loughborough, a post created to support Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) clergy, lay workers and congregations.
As a full-time assistant bishop, she will work closely with the Bishop of Leicester and will support churches across the diocese.
The Reverend John Whittaker, vicar of St Mary’s Church in Hinckley, said: “We chose to name the role after Loughborough, as it’s the second biggest populace in the region.
“Part of her role includes providing a lead to the Church of England in Leicestershire better serving, engaging with and receiving from the BAME community.
“We know that the Church of England as a whole is quite poor in its representation of ethnic minorities, so it is good that this appointment of an Iranian woman as our new bishop demonstrates how important it is to the church to become more ethnically diverse.”
Ms Francis-Dehqani’s family is originally from Isfahan province in Iran.
They left the country in 1980 when she was 14, in the wake of the Iranian Revolution.
She will be the first ethnic minority woman to become a bishop in the Church of England.
She said: “Diversity comes in all shapes and sizes, and what I’m interested in is listening to people and building bridges between different communities.
“Whilst being a bishop for the whole diocese, it will be a particular joy and a privilege to learn from and draw out the rich resources of Christians from minority ethnic communities.”
She currently leads Curate Training for the Diocese of Peterborough, is an adviser for Women’s Ministry for the diocese, and is a Canon at Peterborough Cathedral.
Her consecration is happening at Canterbury Cathedral on November 30 at 11am.
Leicester Diocese is organising two coaches to take people to the service.
One leaves from near St Martin’s House, next to Leicester Cathedral, at 5.30am, and the other from St Mary’s Church in Nanpantan, at 5.30am.
Seats on the coach are £20, whether you travel both ways or just one, and they will be leaving Canterbury mid afternoon.
To book tickets for the coach and service, contact Rachel Radford by email: rachel.radford@leccofe.org.