Canadian woman bishop among nominees to head country's Anglican church April 20, 2007

TORONTO – The Anglican Church of Canada could elect its first woman leader during a national assembly this summer.

Edmonton Bishop Victoria Matthews is among four nominees for archbishop, or primate, who were chosen Thursday by Canada's Anglican bishops during a private meeting in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The election is set for June 22 in Winnipeg, Ontario.

If Matthews wins, she will be the second woman elected to lead a national Anglican church in the nearly 500-year-old Anglican Communion.

Last year, U.S. Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori became the first woman elected to head an Anglican province. The Episcopal Church is the U.S. wing of the communion, a 77 million-member fellowship of churches that trace their roots to the Church of England. the rest

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