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Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani: We were outsiders

Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani is one of the leading candidates for Archbishop of Canterbury. She speaks to presenter Ed Stourton about her Persian identity and her faith.

Bishop Guli is currently the Bishop of Chelmsford, a city in England, but it is also being reported that she’s one of the leading candidates to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury - the most senior bishop in the Church of England.

Although she is keen not to add to any media speculation, if selected, Bishop Guli would be a remarkable choice. Not only would she be the first woman to hold the position in the Church’s long history, but she would also become the first person of Middle Eastern heritage to hold the position too.

Born in Iran, her family came to the UK as refugees after her brother was murdered in the wake of the Iranian Revolution. Edward Stourton, presenter of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4’s Sunday programme, speaks to Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani about her Persian identity and her faith.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½. You can listen on the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Sounds, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Edward Stourton
Producers: Ben Cooper, Katy Davis and Lucy Sheppard
Editor: Damon Rose

Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ on social media.

(Image: Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani. Credit: ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4/PA)

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23 minutes

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Wed 23 Jul 2025 21:06GMT

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