The Church of England has appointed Woyin Karowei Dorgu, a Nigerian-born Anglican priest, and former doctor, as one of its bishops. This move makes Dorgu the first black bishop of the church in 20 years and only the second in its history and raises the proportion of minority ethnic clergy in the English church’s hierarchy.
Dorgu, who was trained as a medical doctor in Lagos before being ordained as an Anglican priest, will be the 13th bishop of Woolwich in South East London. He will be presiding over a district which has a sizeable black population, many of whom are Nigerians.
In an interview with the UK Guardian, Dorgu described his appointment by the Church of England as “a small step in the right direction” and suggested that it gave the church an opportunity to interact with the black community and reach out to Nigerians seeking “a spiritual home”.
Black and minority ethnic people account for less than 2 percent of those undergoing the process of becoming clergy in the Church of England. The church has in recent times pushed for a greater involvement of people from minority groups in its leadership; the appointment of Dorgu is seen as part of this effort.
The first black person to be appointed as a bishop in the Church of England was John Sentamu. He is now archbishop of York and second only to Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury and leader of the global Anglican Communion, in the church’s hierarchy.
Dorgu will be consecrated on March 17 at the Southwark Cathedral, Woolwich, London.