The Diocese of New Westminster is one of five dioceses of the Ecclesiastical Province of British Columbia and the Yukon of the Anglican Church of Canada. The see city is Vancouver. The current bishop is the Right Reverend John Stephens. He was consecrated as the coadjutor bishop on January 23, 2021, and installed as diocesan bishop on February 28, 2021. The Dean of New Westminster and rector of the cathedral (Christ Church Cathedral) is the Very Reverend Christopher Pappas and the Executive Archdeacon of the diocese is the Venerable G. Douglas Fenton. Archdeacon Fenton has announced that he will retire, January 4, 2023. The diocese encompasses about 78,000 square kilometres of the Lower Mainland in the civil province of British Columbia, comprising the Regional Districts of Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Sunshine Coast, Powell River and part of the Regional District of Squamish-Lillooet (including Squamish and Whistler). The diocese was founded in New Westminster in 1879, but with the considerable growth of the City of Vancouver, the see city was moved there in 1912. There are, therefore, two churches styled as "cathedrals" in the diocese — Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver has been the cathedral since 1929, while Holy Trinity Cathedral in New Westminster was the cathedral from 1892 to that date. Although no longer a cathedral, the diocesan synod allowed Holy Trinity to keep the title "cathedral" as a courtesy for historical reasons (it is, strictly speaking, a pro-cathedral). The diocese has 63 active parishes and 3 emerging faith communities with approximately 18,000 members on its parish rolls according to the recent statistics stated in the official publication Topic. The diocese has traditionally been at the forefront of progressive causes in the Anglican Communion. In 1976, David Somerville was one of the first bishops of the Canadian Church to ordain women. In 2002, the diocese became the centre of an international controversy within the Anglican Communion due to its decision to bless same-sex unions. Several conservative ecclesiastical provinces in the communion, particularly those in Africa, have severed relations with the diocese over the issue (see Homosexuality and the Anglican Communion). At the May 11, 2016, meeting of the diocesan council the governing body of the diocese unanimously passed the following motion: That Diocesan Council, on behalf of the Diocese of New Westminster: I. Accept the invitation of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Philippines to enter into a companion relationship seeking