Kanishka Raffel elected new Archbishop of Sydney

• He will be the 13th leader of the Anglican Church in Sydney since Bishop Broughton was first appointed in 1836

Kanishka Raffel has been elected as the next Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, the first person from a non-European background to hold the position.

Mr. Raffel has been the Dean of Sydney for the past six years and previously led a large Anglican church in Perth for 16 years.

He will be the 13th leader of the Anglican Church in Sydney since Bishop Broughton was first appointed in 1836.
“I’m humbled and somewhat daunted by the responsibility given me by the Synod,” the 56-year-old Archbishop-elect said in a statement on Thursday night. Born to Sri Lankan parents in London, Mr. Raffel and his family emigrated to Australia from Canada in 1972. He and his wife Cailey have been married for 32 years and have two adult daughters.