A Church in Wales electoral college chose the Rt. Rev. John Davies as the church’s 13th archbishop on Sept. 6 Davies has served as the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon for the past nine years.
Davies succeeds Barry Morgan, who retired in January after 14 years as archbishop. This is the first time a Bishop of the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon has been elected as Archbishop of Wales.
Davies secured a two-thirds majority vote from members of the electoral college on the second day of its meeting at Holy Trinity Church, Llandrindod Wells. The election was immediately confirmed by the five other diocesan bishops.
“I am overwhelmed and humbled,” Davies said. “I would like to thank members of the college and especially my fellow bishops for the confidence and trust they have shown in me. We will work together as a team to grow and strengthen the church as it serves the communities of Wales and helps build the kingdom of God.”
Davies was born at Newport and educated at Bassaleg Grammar School. He graduated in law from the University of Southampton and then moved to the College of Law at Chester. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1977, focusing on criminal law.
Archbishop John left the law to enter the ministry and was ordained in 1984. He served in the Diocese of Monmouth in a variety of rural, post-industrial and urban parishes, and served as diocesan schools’ officer and officer for ecumenical affairs. He was appointed Dean of Brecon in 2000, and during eight years in that role oversaw significant improvements to the fabric and liturgy of the Cathedral. He was elected as the ninth Bishop of Swansea and Brecon in 2008.
Davies and his wife, Jo, an emergency nurse practitioner, are parents to two grown children.
Adapted from the Church in Wales
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.
