The Rt. Rev. Linda Nicholls will become the 14th primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, after her election July 13. She will succeed the Most Rev. Fred Hiltz on July 16, at the conclusion of the General Synod in Vancouver.
She becomes only the second female primate elected in the Anglican Communion, joining Katharine Jefferts Schori, who served as presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church from 2006-2015.
Nicholls was elected on the fourth ballot from a slate of three men and two women. A female primate was assured after the votes were counted on the third ballot, as that ballot eliminated the only remaining male candidate.
Anglican Journal has more on the election.
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
