Historic Shift: Female Bishop Poised to Lead Church of England

British betting firms have placed Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani as the frontrunner to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury. The 58-year-old Bishop of Chelmsford could make history as the first woman to lead the Church of England in its nearly 1,500-year existence.

Francis-Dehqani emerged as the leading candidate after betting companies Ladbrokes and Star Sports gave her odds of evens and 2 to 1 respectively. She would succeed Justin Welby, who resigned in January 2025 following controversy over his handling of an abuse scandal.

Born in Iran, Francis-Dehqani fled with her family after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Her background includes personal tragedy. Her brother Bahram was killed in 1980, while both her parents survived assassination attempts.

Her father served as an Anglican bishop in Iran before continuing his ministry in exile in the United Kingdom. The potential appointment comes just a decade after the Church of England changed its laws to allow women to serve as bishops.

Current statistics show women now comprise approximately 30% of bishops in the denomination. This growing female presence in church leadership marks a significant shift in the traditionally male-dominated institution.

The selection process follows a structured timeline managed by the Canterbury Crown Nominations Commission. The commission will meet three times between May and September 2025.

Francis-Dehqani Emerges as Leading Candidate

Lord Evans of Weardale, former director general of MI5, chairs the commission. A successful nomination requires support from two-thirds of voting members through a secret ballot.

Other strong contenders include Michael Beasley, Bishop of Bath and Wells, and Thabo Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town. The field narrowed when Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich, and Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Bishop of Dover, removed themselves from consideration.

Francis-Dehqani has established herself as a progressive voice within the church. She has advocated for greater acceptance of same-sex blessings and criticized restrictive immigration policies.

She recently challenged Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s characterization of Britain as an “island of strangers,” defending immigrants as valued community members.

Her candidacy gained momentum after Bishop Hudson-Wilkin, another potential frontrunner, explicitly ruled herself out during a television interview.

Hudson-Wilkin expressed disappointment over Welby’s resignation, suggesting he had been unfairly scapegoated for institutional failures. The formal nomination for Welby’s successor is expected by autumn 2025.

If selected, Francis-Dehqani would become the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, breaking centuries of male leadership in one of Christianity’s most prominent positions.