Libby Lane has become the first female bishop of the Church of England following the adoption of historic legislation.

Lane, who will serve Anglicans as the new Bishop of Stockport, is expected to take her position on January 26 at a ceremony at York Minster.

The Church – which is the established state church in England – voted in July to allow female bishops and formally adopted the rule change last month. Lane’s appointment, which was approved by Queen Elizabeth II, signals a profound change in the historic male dominance of the Church’s hierarchy.

Speaking at Stockport Town Hall on Wednesday, Lane described the news as “a remarkable day for me and a historic day for the Church.”

Before giving her speech, Lane asked attendees at her announcement to stand and pray for the schoolchildren killed in a Taliban attack in Pakistan on Tuesday.

British Prime Minister David Cameron congratulated Lane on her new position and said: “This is an historic appointment and an important step forward for the Church towards greater equality in its senior positions.”

Lane studied at Oxford and trained for the ministry at Cranmer Hall in Durham. She was ordained as a deacon in 1993 and a priest in 1994, serving her curacy in Blackburn, Lancashire.

[adrotate banner=”67″]