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ABC News
ABC News
National

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby visits Far North Queensland to ordain Indigenous women

The world's most powerful Anglican has ordained three Indigenous women in the Aboriginal community of Yarrabah in Far North Queensland.

Archbishop Justin Welby, who delivered the sermon at Queen Elizabeth's funeral, wed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and will crown King Charles III next year, travelled to the seaside township near Cairns on Monday.

There, in a small church a world away from London's Westminster Abbey, he ordained Petronella Connolly and Valma Connolly as priests and Ainsley Dangar as a deacon.

Archbishop Welby has been touring Australia for a fortnight and said he wanted to meet with Indigenous Australians.

So when the opportunity to ordain the three women presented itself, he jumped at the chance.

"It's such a treat to do an ordination, let alone do it in such an extraordinary atmosphere," Archbishop Welby said. 

"I felt very unworthy of it, very overwhelmed by the whole experience.

"This is such a remarkable thing to find myself doing, and how generous of them to allow me to do this."

Valmai Connolly, who was ordained as a priest by Archbishop Welby, said it was a "historic" moment, not only for Indigenous women but the entire Yarrabah community.

"I am just so honoured, and I appreciate him coming all this way to ordain us, local women, here," Ms Connolly said.

"It is so important for First Nations women to be in the clergy because our people need a voice.

"We're stepping up to be a voice for our people, to lift them up in all areas of life."

Petronella Connelly was also ordained as a priest, something that she said took years of hard study.

"There's been bible studies, teaching, hospital visits, working with the community, so having the archbishop here is the icing on the cake."

The Anglican Church said there were about 50 Aboriginal members of the clergy in Australia, and a handful of those were women.

Archbishop Welby has been in Australia on a two-week tour, visiting Thursday Island in the Torres Strait over the weekend, where he spoke with islanders struggling with rising sea levels.

He also visited flood-affected communities on the New South Wales North Coast as well as Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.

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