Nigerian-born Reverend consecrated as First Nigerian Bishop of The Church Of England(Anglican Communion)  (PHOTOS)

Nigerian-born Reverend (Dr) Woyin Karowie Dorgu was yesterday consecrated as Bishop of Woolwich/Diocese of Southwark London.

Consecrated by His Grace Rt Reverend Justin Welby (Archbishop of Canterbury)

Reverend(Dr) Woyin Karowei Dorgu (born June 1958) is a Church of England priest and former medical doctor.In December 2016, it was announced that he would be the next Bishop of Woolwich,a suffragan Bishop in the Diocese of Southwark.He was consecrated a bishop today 17 March 2017.

He is being appointed as the first black bishop of The Church Of England for 20 years in a move that significantly increases its handful of minority ethnic clergy in senior leadership positions.

Dorgu was born and brought up in Nigeria, and ordained in the UK as a priest in 1996 at Woolwich, in south-east London, has a significant Nigerian population, many of whom worship in black-majority Pentecostal churches rather than the C of E.

At a press conference at Southwark Cathedral, Dorgu said one of his priorities as bishop would be to celebrate the racial diversity of the Woolwich area. He said he intended to “encourage BAME [black, Asian and minority ethnic] vocations and more participation in ministry”.

“I will celebrate the diversity in race, ability, gender, sexuality and class … Celebrating our differences is a gift,” he added.

The only other black bishop currently in the Church of England is John Sentamu, now archbishop of York – second in the church hierarchy – who was consecrated as bishop of Stepney 20 years ago. There are three BAME archdeacons and one dean.

BAME representation among clergy and senior leadership has long been a concern in the church. Last year, the proportion of BAME people among those embarking on the process of becoming a priest fell to 1.9%, compared with a share of the general population of about 15%. In previous years it has been 4-5%.

The church established a committee for minority ethnic Anglican concerns more than 30 years ago, which recently stepped up efforts to improve BAME representation. An initiative called Turning Up the Volume was set up in 2012 with the aim of doubling the number of BAME clergy in senior positions within 10 years.  more pictures below.....