The Bishop of St Davids, Dr Joanna Penberthy, has announced that she will be standing down from office later this summer on the grounds of ill health.

This concludes a lengthy period of absence from her diocese after she received widespread criticism for a Tweet sent out in March 2021 in which she wrote ‘Never, never, never trust a Tory’.

Dr Penberthy later apologised for her comments, saying it was made in response to reports that the Conservative Party was planning to abolish the Welsh Senedd.

She later deleted her Twitter account saying that some of her comments had been ‘expressed in a way which was both irresponsible and disrespectful, and I deeply regret this’.

The Archbishop of Canterbury said at the time that he was ‘deeply embarrassed’ by her posts, which he described as ‘unacceptable’.

Three months later, Bishop Joanna was advised by her doctor to take a one-month leave of absence however this was extended to four months.

The diocese then announced that Dr Penberthy would make ‘a phased return to work’, but again in August 2022 a further period of sick leave was announced.

This week Bishop Joanna stated that her ill health is affecting her ability to carry out her demanding role within the diocese.

“This is not a decision I have taken lightly,” she said in a statement.

“The migraine, with which I have been living constantly, has adversely affected my ability to function at the level required to fulfil my role’.

Announcing her retirement the Archbishop of Wales, the Most Revd Andrew John, said that Dr Penberthy’s contribution to the Church in Wales has been significant’.

“She has contributed significantly to areas of church life, in particular on environmental matters and with our social-responsibility network,” he said.

“A decision like this is never easy to make.”

Born in Swansea in 1960, Dr Penberthy was one of the first women to be ordained as a priest in Wales in January 1997.

She had been a deaconess since 1984, and was ordained deacon in 1987, after studying at Newnham College, Cambridge, and for ordination at Cranmer Hall, Durham.

She also studied at the University of Nottingham, completing a Masters in theology in 1984, and a Ph.D. in quantum physics in July 2019 with a thesis titled Reading the “Paradoxical Book of Bell”: A case study in theology and science.

In January 2017 Dr Penberthy became the first woman to be consecrated as a bishop in the Church in Wales.

Her diocese covered a significant area which extends to 2,266 square miles in the three counties of Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire. It is made up of the archdeaconries of St David’s, Cardigan and Carmarthen.

Dr Penberthy will retire formally on 31 July and a new bishop is likely to be elected in October.