As there are 42 dioceses of the Church of England, there are 42 bishops diocesan (including vacancies). Of the 42: both archbishops and the Bishops of London, of Durham and of Winchester, sit in the House of Lords as Lords Spiritualex officio; a further 21 sit there by seniority (of whom five had their seniority accelerated); the Bishop of Sodor and Man sits ex officio in the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man and also in Tynwald Court; fourteen diocesans are not currently LordsSpiritual; and the Bishop in Europe is ineligible to be a Lord Spiritual.
Until 2015, the 21 longest-serving among the remaining diocesan bishops were eligible to sit in the House of Lords as Lords Spiritual. Since women became eligible as bishops in 2015, female diocesan bishops take precedence over male ones whenever a new vacancy in the Lords arises, in accordance with the Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (in force until 17 May 2025).[18][19]
Acting diocesan bishops, properly called episcopal commissaries, are referred to by a wide variety of informal titles. For simplicity, this article refers only to the Acting Bishop of Somewhere.
As of 1May2022[update], there are 73 bishops suffragan. Of the 73: one, the Bishop of Dover, acts as a diocesan bishop; one, the Bishop of Islington, has a national role (though often focused in London); five bishops provide Alternative Episcopal Oversight (to parishes who reject the presbyteral and/or episcopal ministry of women); 20 are area bishops; and the remaining 46 are deployed in suffragan roles across their diocese (or have informal portfolios or geographical responsibility).
As of 15October2024[update], there are sixteen people in active ministry (i.e. not retired) in the Church of England who are in episcopal orders but not in episcopal posts in the Church of England.
Anthony Poggo, former Bishop of Kajo-Keji (Episcopal Church of South Sudan; consecrated 2007), has been based at Lambeth Palace since 2016: as the Archbishop of Canterbury's Advisor on AnglicanCommunion Affairs[220] until 2022 and as SecretaryGeneral of the Anglican Consultative Council since[221]
All 42 bishops diocesan (or as many as are in post)
The Bishop suffragan of Dover (as a quasi-diocesan bishop; Rose Hudson-Wilkin, since 2019) and the Bishop to the Forces (Hugh Nelson, Bishop suffragan of StGermans; since 2021)
9 bishops suffragan (5 from Canterbury province; 4 from York) elected by and from among all the bishops suffragan.
The following have been elected to serve in the Convocations for 2021–2026:[239]
Ric Thorpe, Bishop suffragan of Islington (since 2021)[240]
Bev Mason, Bishop suffragan of Warrington (since 2021)
Martin Gorick, Bishop suffragan of Dudley (since 2021)
Jill Duff, Bishop suffragan of Lancaster (since 2022)[241]
Joanne Grenfell, area Bishop of Stepney (since 2023)[242]
Julie Conalty, Bishop suffragan of Birkenhead (since 2023)[242]
Stephen Race, Bishop suffragan of Beverley (since 2023)[242]
one southern vacancy vice Hollinghurst
one southern vacancy vice Graham
Acting diocesan bishops (commissaries) also attend but do not vote (unless they happen to hold a vote as an elected representative suffragan) at meetings of the House.[243]
The four "provincial episcopal visitors" (the Bishops suffragan of Richborough, of Ebbsfleet, of Oswestry and of Beverley) may attend and speak, but are not members and may not vote — unless they are elected as representative suffragans[238][244] (as Beverley is).
Since 1 December 2016 six female bishops suffragan are "[given] rights of attendance".[245] They are:[238]
Alison White, Bishop suffragan of Hull
Ruth Worsley, Bishop suffragan of Taunton and ActingBishop of Coventry
↑ Welby was consecrated as Bishop of Durham in 2011.[6]
↑ Cottrell was consecrated in 2004 to serve as area Bishop of Reading, translated to Chelmsford on 6 October 2010,[9] and translated to York on 9 July 2020.[8]
↑ Mounstephen was consecrated as Bishop of Truro in 2018.
↑ Croft was consecrated as diocesan Bishop of Sheffield in 2009, his election having been confirmed in late 2008.
↑ Smith was consecrated as area Bishop of Shrewsbury in 2001.
↑ Conway was consecrated as area Bishop of Ramsbury in 2006.
↑ Chessun was consecrated as area Bishop of Woolwich in 2005.
↑ Baines was consecrated as area Bishop of Croydon in 2003; he was translated to Bradford in 2011 and that see was dissolved in 2014, two months prior to his confirmation to Leeds.
↑ Warner was consecrated as Bishop suffragan of Whitby in 2010.
↑ Walker was consecrated as area Bishop of Dudley in 2000.
↑ Francis-Dehqani was consecrated as Bishop suffragan of Loughborough in 2017.
↑ Watson was consecrated as Bishop suffragan of Aston in 2008.
↑ Frost was consecrated as Bishop suffragan of Southampton on 30 November 2010.[88]
↑ Baker was consecrated as Bishop suffragan of Ebbsfleet (PEV) in 2011.
↑ Ineson was consecrated as Bishop of Penrith in 2019[149] and became Bishop to the Archbishops on 1 June 2021.[150]
Resignations and retirements
Bishops are generally required to retire at age 70, but may continue in office for longer (up to a maximum of 75) by direction of their superior (the archbishop for diocesan bishops, the diocesan bishop for suffragan bishops).[249]
↑ On 12 November 2024, Welby announced his intention to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury at an unspecified date, continuing his official functions until 6 January 2025; the effective date of his resignation is to be set by the King-in-Council.[2]
↑ Seeley is to retire effective 28 February 2025.[54]
↑ Worsley is to remain Acting Bishop of Coventry until 31 December 2024, after which Tim Thornton (former Bishop at Lambeth) is to act as bishop until Jelley is in post.[110]
↑ Searle is to retire effective 31 January 2025.[143]
↑ Welby was translated to Canterbury upon the confirmation of his election (at which point he became the bishop diocesan proper)[4] on 4 February.[3] His installation at Canterbury Cathedral duly occurred on 21 March 2013[5]
↑ Mounstephen was translated to Winchester upon the confirmation of his election at StMary-le-Bow on 10 October 2023.[15][16]
↑ Baines became acting diocesan and area bishop for Leeds on 22 April 2014,[33] then became diocesan and area Bishop of Leeds proper upon the confirmation of his election on 8 June
1 2 Lane has the distinction of being the first woman consecrated into bishop's orders in the Church of England (as Bishop suffragan of Stockport in 2015). Hartley was a priest of the Church of England consecrated bishop in 2014 in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.
↑ The Bishop to the Archbishops is neither a diocesan (they cannot be a Lord Spiritual) nor a suffragan bishop, but ranks highly as episcopal chief of staff to the Archbishops of Canterbury (at Lambeth Palace) and of York (at Bishopthorpe) and Urquhart is a retired diocesan bishop; unlike the holders of the predecessor office Bishop at Lambeth, Urquhart has not been appointed Bishop to the Forces, so he does not have a seat in the House of Bishops.
1 2 The Bishops of Sodor and Man and in Europe are ineligible to be Lords Spiritual; the Bishop of Sodor and Man is, however, ex officio a member of the Manx Legislative Council.
↑ It was announced on 31 January 2017 that North was nominated to become Bishop of Sheffield;[96] on 9 March, North withdrew his acceptance of the nomination.[97]
↑ The date the person took up office in their current suffragan role; for suffragans in their first see, this date is the same as their consecration.
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References
↑ "Diocese of Durham" (Press release). Number10.gov.uk. 2 June 2011. Archived from the original on 5 July 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
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