Appointment of First Female Bishop of Coventry Confirmed

The Right Reverend Sophie Jelley has been appointed as the inaugural female Bishop of Coventry. She currently serves as the Bishop of Doncaster and will oversee 201 parishes spanning Warwickshire and Coventry. Bishop Jelley takes over from the Right Reverend Dr Christopher Cocksworth, who departed the diocese in November of the previous year to assume the role of Dean of Windsor. Her new position is scheduled to commence in the spring, subsequent to an installation service held at Coventry Cathedral. The announcement occurred on Monday, subsequent to King Charles’s approval of her nomination. Bishop Jelley expressed that she would “find it incredibly hard” to depart Yorkshire, a place where she had “learned what it is to be a bishop for the church in today’s world”. She further stated her belief that “this has equipped me to be the Bishop that Coventry Diocese needs for the coming years”. She contemplated “its rich diversity of people and significant heritage of culture and industry,” and noted the significant opportunities to “join in sharing the story of God’s love with the people of Coventry and Warwickshire”. Bishop Jelley, who is married with three adult children, is also known for playing the violin and viola, being a soprano singer, and having been an enthusiastic runner for many years. Her appointment as the next Bishop of Doncaster was announced in December 2019, and her consecration took place in September 2020, after a postponement caused by Covid pandemic lockdowns. Bishop Jelley, who spent three years working in Uganda starting in 2000, pursued studies in theology and religious studies at the University of Leeds. She undertook her training at Wycliffe Hall theological college, where she earned an MPhil in theology (Christian Doctrine) from the University of Oxford, and was ordained in 1997.