The Bishop of St David’s has talked publicly for the first time about difficulties she still faces with some of her clergy and congregation not recognising her spiritual authority.

After a year and a half in her job, she says it’s hard to deal with on a personal level.

The Rt. Revd Joanna Penberthy was the first woman to be appointed a Bishop by the Church in Wales, when she became the Bishop of St David’s in November 2016. This followed a long campaign for the Church to accept women in this senior role.

In an interview to be screened as part of The Hour debate programme on BBC Cymru Wales, Rt Revd Joanna Penberthy said: “All those men in our diocese who don’t think that women could be bishops have treated me with respect and so they accept my authority. But they don’t accept that I am able to celebrate the sacrament so they couldn’t receive communion from me or be ordained by me.”

Adding that she sometimes finds the situation frustrating, she said:”It’s hard to have a group of people in the diocese who see women as that different.”

The diocese covers Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, and Joanna Penberthy is the 129th Bishop of St David’s, the previous 128 post-holders have all been men.

Since her election the Church in Wales has seen a second woman elected when Joan Osborne was chosen as the Bishop of Llandaf in April 2017.

Bishop Penberthy will be appearing on The Hour debate which will be broadcast on Monday April 16 at 10.40pm on BBC1 Wales, presented by Catrin Nye.