Church of England appoints first female bishop

The Church of England has announced its first female Bishop as Reverend Libby Lane.

Just a month after the historic change to canon law which qualifies women to be appointment as bishops, Reverend Libby Lane was appointed a bishop to occupy the vacancy of the Bishop of Stockport that has been vacant since May.

Her appointment ends centuries of male leadership of the Church of England and comes 20 years after women became priests.

Mrs Lane has been the vicar at St Peter's Hale and St Elizabeth's Ashley, in the diocese of Chester, since 2007. She was ordained a deacon in 1993 and a priest in 1994, serving as a curate in Blackburn, Lancashire. She has held the role of the Deal of Women in Ministry for the diocese of Chester. She has also held the role of Dean of Women in Ministry for the diocese of Chester since 2010.

Libby Lane schooled in Manchester and then attended the University at Oxford and trained for ministry at Cranmer Hall in Durham.

Her husband George, who is a chaplain at Manchester Airport, is also a priest, and they were one of the first married couples in the Church of England to be ordained together.

Giving her acceptance speech, Libby Lane took out time to pray for the school children that lost their lives in the Tuesday Taliban attack in Pakistan.

"It is a remarkable day for me and an historic day for the Church,” she said about her appointment.

Her appointment has generated a lot buzz with Prime Minister David Cameron even taking to Twitter to congratulate her.

"Congratulations to Revd Libby Lane on becoming the first woman bishop in the Church. An historic appointment and important day for equality," David Cameron tweeted.