The News Minute | January 26, 2015 | 09:28 pm IST

London: The Church of England Monday consecrated its first female bishop, the Reverend Libby Lane, at a historic ceremony in the Cathedral of York, in northern England.

Lane, who was appointed to the post December 17, 2014, will become the eighth bishop of Stockport, a city in northern England, in an event witnessed by a thousand guests.

In an interview with Radio Manchester, Lane, 48, said, "It is a remarkable thing that this happens to me, and people have been very supportive of me personally, but actually this is about a moment in the Church's history."

On December 17, the Anglican Synod appointed Libby Lane as its first woman bishop after having voted last July in favour of the consecration of women, a measure which was then approved in November by the relevant legislation in parliament.

Lane has been a priest since 1994.

Besides England, there are 165 countries with the presence of the Anglican Church, representing some 85 million faithful.

Some of these countries accept women bishops, including Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US, with a total of 29 women consecrated.

With IANS