PERTH The first woman bishop in Australia has been consecrated by the country’s Anglican Church, in a ceremony that was attended by more than 800 people. The archdeacon became the Most Rev Kay Goldsworthy, right, an assistant bishop in Western Australia, at a service in St George’s Cathedral, Perth. The Most Rev Roger Herft, Archbishop of Perth, pictured, and 21 Anglican bishops from Australia and New Zealand showed their support for the appointment by attending the service.

Among the clergy who did not attend because they opposed the ordination of women ministers were the Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Rev Peter Jensen, and the Bishop of Northwest Australia, David Mulready.

A set of protocols about women bishops was arranged last month by the Australian Anglican Church, which allows parishes to decide if they want a woman bishop. The ordination of women remains controversial among many Anglicans, although women bishops have been consecrated in the United States and Canada.

Bishop Goldsworthy, 51, is married and has two sons. She was one of the first women to be ordained in Australia, in 1992. (AP)