A bishop of Iranian origin to straighten out the Anglican Church?

«What happened should shake us to the core»…It was the reaction of the Bishop of Chelmsford Guli, Francesco-Dehqanileading the women’s choir of the Anglican Church, after meeting the abuse perpetrated by John Smyththe lawyer and sadist who for more than four decades punished with his rod and they sexually assaulted 130 minorsmostly recruited in Christian camps.

The scandal has propitiated the fall of the Archbishop of CanterburyJustin Welby, who took on his «personal and institutional responsibility» (he oversaw some of those camps and exchanged Christmas cards with Smyth until his death in 2018). The Church of England now enters a period of penitence and contrition which will last perhaps until next autumn, with the election of successor amidst the turbulence.

Libby Lane She was the first woman ordained bishop in 2014, after a historic change in canon law that ended five centuries of male exclusivity. Guli Francis-Dehqani followed in his footsteps three years later. And now he can take up Welby’s baton as Archbishop of Canterbury, shoulder to shoulder with the favorites with the Archbishop of YorkStephen Cottrell and the Bishop of LeicesterMaryn Snow (and with two other women, the Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek, and the Prelate of Dover, Rose Hudson-Wilkin, on the shortlist).

Guli Francis-Dehqani, 57, stands out among everyone for her unusual personal story. Born in Irandaughter of an Anglican bishop and a British missionary in the Shah era, He saw his older brother murdered when he was 14 during the Islamic revolution and in full persecution of Christians.

She came to the UK as a teenager as a refugee and her first love in life was art and music. After reaching the age of 20 years and influence of his father, Hassan Dehqani-Taftihe decided to study Theology and Philosophy at the University of Bristoland dedicated his doctoral thesis to his mother: Religious feminism in the age of empire: women missionaries in Iran.

At 33 she was ordained dean and soon after priest at Southwark Cathedral. He combined his two passions as a chaplain to the Royal Academy of Music, got married and in 2004 obtained permission to look after his three children. She returned to her full-time position in the Diocese of Peterborough and was elected a member of the General Synod.

In 2017 she made history as the first bishop of an ethnic minority of the Anglican Church and her career took off until she was appointed spiritual lord (the bishops of the Church of England who are part of the House of Lords), and was chosen AS one of the three bishops who supported King Charles at his coronation.

All this without biting your tongue AND break a spear for “social justice” and for everything he learned from his father after his tragic personal experience with his brother’s murder: «We preach forgiveness and reconciliation. Our faith is worth nothing if we fall short in times of tribulation».

Guli Francis-Dehqani has earned quite a bit of criticism we remember “the loss of innocent lives in Gaza as the international community moves forward sell weapons to IsraelHe acknowledges that he has suffered «personal attacks» for defending what he considers «just causes» and is aware that this can diminish his support in the moment of truth: «I could see in my family that this thing was not going to go forward.» be an easy path. But that’s part of the sacrifice when you hear the calling. Not doing so would be like not taking on my role.»