Canterbury Cathedral gets first woman archdeacon in 1,400 year-history
LONDON (AFP) - Canterbury Cathedral, the seat of the Church of England, installed its first woman archdeacon in its 1,400-year history on Saturday.
Before a congregation of 500, the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, led the service of installation for the Venerable Sheila Watson, 53, the first woman to join Williams's senior staff.
The former archdeacon of Buckingham in the Diocese of Oxford, who succeeds the retired Patrick Evans, will now be able to enthrone new diocesan bishops in 27 of England's 43 dioceses under Williams's guidance....
