Election of the Bishop of Llandaff
People representing churches from across Wales will meet at Llandaff Cathedral this week to elect a new bishop for Wales’ most populated diocese.
An electoral college of 45 people will meet inside to nominate and vote on a confidential list of candidates for the next Bishop of Llandaff.
The election, which starts on January 18, follows the retirement at the end of December of June Osborne (right) who had served as Bishop of Llandaff since 2017. The new bishop will be the 73rd Bishop of Llandaff, a diocese which serves nearly half the population of Wales as it includes most of Cardiff, the South Wales Valleys and the Vale of Glamorgan.
The Electoral College is made up of representatives from all six Welsh dioceses, including the Bishops. Its discussions are confidential. Candidates for election are nominated at the meeting, discussed and voted on by ballot. Any candidate receiving two-thirds of the votes of those present is declared Bishop-Elect. Otherwise, the College returns to the nomination stage and the cycle starts afresh. Once a decision is made, the Cathedral re-opens and an announcement made at the west door.
The College may meet for up to three consecutive days in order to reach a decision; if it is unable to do so within this deadline the decision passes to the Bench of Bishops.
Once a bishop is elected, he or she will have up to 28 days to accept the position. If they accept, the election will be formally confirmed at a Sacred Synod service held shortly afterwards.
The Electoral College meeting will begin on January 18 with a celebration of the Holy Eucharist at 10am to which anyone is welcome. Following that college members will meet in private and the Cathedral will be closed.
