First female bishop in NSW and Canberra consecrated

Monday, April 2, 2012 

Genieve Blackwell has become the third woman Anglican bishop in Australia and the 31st in the world. On Saturday, Blackwell was consecrated in St Saviour's Cathedral, Goulburn in the state of New South Wales (NSW), Australia as the Regional Bishop of Wagga Wagga. She was first ordained nineteen years ago.

St Saviour's Cathedral, Goulburn in 2006.
Image: Matilda.

	It is a great thing that the gifts of women are being recognised and confirmed
—Genieve Blackwell

Blackwell is quoted as saying "It is a great thing that the gifts of women are being recognised and confirmed”.

The appointment is controversial because the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney and Metropolitan of the Province of NSW, Peter Jensen, whose role it is to lead the service, opposes the ordination of female bishops.

Jensen asked the Bishop of Newcastle to represent him at the service. The Diocese of Sydney does not agree with most of the rest of the country’s dioceses, so there were no Sydney bishops present among the 18 who consecrated Blackwell.

Sources

• Malcolm Brown. "Jensen begs off as deputy consecrates woman bishop" — The Sydney Morning Herald, 31 March 2012
• Elizabeth Byrne. "First female Anglican bishop for NSW, ACT" — ABC News, 2 April 2012