Anglican Bishop of Southwark

Bishop of Southwark
Bishopric
anglican
Incumbent:
Christopher Chessun
Location
Ecclesiastical provinceCanterbury
ResidenceBishop's House, Streatham
Information
Established1905
DioceseSouthwark
CathedralSt Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark

The Bishop of Southwark (/ˈsʌðərk/ ⓘ SUDH-ərk)[1] is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Southwark in the Province of Canterbury.[2][3]

Until 1877, Southwark had been part of the Diocese of Winchester when it was transferred to the Diocese of Rochester. In 1891, the Bishop of Rochester appointed Huyshe Yeatman-Biggs the only suffragan bishop of Southwark and an ancient parish church in Southwark was restored to become a pro-cathedral in 1897, which later became Southwark Cathedral.[2] The bishop's residence is Bishop's House, Streatham.[4]

On 1 May 1905,[5] the Diocese of Southwark was created and covers Greater London south of the River Thames and east Surrey, broadly defined.[2] The Bishop of Southwark is assisted by the suffragan bishops of Croydon, of Kingston and of Woolwich who each oversee an episcopal area of the diocese.[6]

The current and previous bishops have been cited in canonical practice in its interpretation as "valid but irregular" of three ordinations of candidates ordained abroad, associated with a conservative evangelical church-forming group, the Anglican Mission in England, having expressed, in the church's view, extreme views on a complex subject.[7][8]

The current bishop is Christopher Chessun, the 10th Bishop of Southwark, who signs +Christopher Southwark. He had previously been the area Bishop of Woolwich (2005–2011). When the post-holder ranks among the longest-serving 21 bishops heading a diocese, he or she will qualify for a place in the House of Lords, joining the other five who qualify ex officio, including the two archbishops.

  1. ^ "Southwark", in The Columbia Lippincott Gazetteer of the World (1952), New York: Columbia University Press.
  2. ^ a b c Diocese of Southwark: History Archived January 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 21 October 2013.
  3. ^ Crockford's Clerical Directory, 100th edition, (2007), Church House Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7151-1030-0.
  4. ^ "Christopher Thomas James Chessun". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
  5. ^ London Gazette. March 21, 1905.
  6. ^ Diocese of Southwark: Bishops and Officers Archived 2006-10-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 25 November 2008.
  7. ^ Petre, Jonathan (4 November 2005). "Evangelicals defy bishop by holding 'irregular' ordinations". Telegraph. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  8. ^ "A.M.I.E". Co-Mission. Retrieved 9 March 2012.