Archbishop of Canterbury: Iranian refugee ‘one of two women shortlisted to be next Head of Church of England’
An Iranian refugee who fled to Britain at the age of 13 is one of at least two female bishops in the running to be the new Archbishop of Canterbury.
Bishop of Chelmsford, Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, arrived in the UK as a refugee in the wake of the 1979 Islamic Revolution and has been shortlisted.
Former Health Department Chief Nursing Officer turned Bishop of London, Rt Rev Dame Sarah Mullally, is another candidate on the list.
The decision on Friday morning could be unprecedented for the Church of England, having never elected a female archbishop before.
Bishop Francis-Dehqani’s dad was the Anglican bishop in Iran from 1961 to 1990 while her mother was born to second generation Christian missionaries.
After the revolution in 1979 and a growing persecution of Christians, the bishop’s mother was wounded after an assassination attempt.
Her family settled in Hampshire where her father remained a bishop in exile.
Bishop Francis-Dehqani believes her brother – who died aged 24 – was killed by the Iranian regime as a “scapegoat” for her father after he died.
Bishop of Chelmsford, Rt Rev Guli Francis-Dehqani, fled Iran as a teenager
| CHELMSFORD DIOCESE
She has been very outspoken politically, criticising the Government’s Rwanda policy.
The bishop said it was a “shameful departure from the UK’s proud history of treating those who seek asylum with compassion”.
She has also called on Western Governments to intervene in growing Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The other female candidate, Bishop Mullally, was made a dame two decades ago to recognise her previous role in the public sector.
Rt Rev Dame Sarah Mullally was the first female Bishop of London
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PA
She was the first female Bishop of London and has also been outspoken.
Bishop Mullally has focused on challenges facing women priests along with being a vocal opponent of the assisted dying Bill.
The Archbishop of Canterbury post has remained vacant ever since Justin Welby resigned in November after a report came out into his handling of he worst abuse scandal in the history of the Church of England.
Other candidates understood by The Telegraph to be on the list include Bishop of Bath and Wells, Rt Rev Michael Beasley, and the Bishop of Sheffield, Rt Rev Pete Wilcox.
It is still unsure whether other unknown names are in contention for the position.
The election of the Archbishop is generally kept secret.
Former Head of MI5 Lord Evans Weardale leads the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) which will make the decision.
At least 12 of the committee’s 17 members must agree on the nominee.
The CNC has already met three times this year – May, July and this month to come to their final decision.
There has been speculation a female will be chosen for the first time.
While many liberal members of the Church will see the move as an important step in how far women have come within the institution, it could anger many conservative wings.
The Church represents Anglican churches outside the UK and women were officially allowed to become bishops in the Church of England in 2014.
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