on Tuesday, 7 July 2026 at 2.24 pm by Peter Owen
categorised as Church of England, News
The Bishop of Bedford, the Rt Revd Richard Atkinson, has announced that he will retire at the end of this year. Details are on the St Albans diocesan website.
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The Unlikely Fr
20 days ago
The lack of comments here is a good, yet sad sign. Good because on the whole on TA we are a critical bunch, and there isn’t much to be critical of when it comes to Bishop Richard. Sad because it means it is easy then not to say anything at all. But much should be said of him, and most of that will be the usual – headline stuff, from the grand and the great. However, more importantly, from personal experience, Bishop Richard is someone who sees beyond the typical and dares to believe in people others may discount. Wishing… Read more »
Lack of comments – in under 24 hours? It’s a great relief that the Synod ‘problem’ seems to have gone away. I’m sure that contributors like myself who don’t know Bishop Richard equally wish him well in retirement.
We can always rely on bishop’s retirements to offer a bit or relief, personally I don’t think they come often enough.
Tim Budd
19 days ago
I knew Richard when he was a curate and watched him grow a youth group from about 6 to over 100 teenagers within 2 years. A very talented priest and a pleasure to know. I wish him well in retirement.
Fr Dean
19 days ago
As is the lot with suffragan bishops he was very much a ‘company’ man. He toed the party line on sexuality in public and was extremely cautious in private on the subject. The link dioceses in the Caribbean were homophobic and supported the death penalty for gay men; it was sad to see him spinning on a sixpence on the issue.
For about two thirds of the countries in the world where homosexuality is illegal it’s as a legacy of British colonialism, but of those only one, Uganda, has the death penalty.
It is not unusual for diocese with links with Anglican churches abroad to struggle with this issue. In Salisbury I have been instructed not to mention my husband when chatting to a Sudanese bishop.
Another eleven countries have homosexuality as a capital offence, and they are all expressions of Muslim Sharia law.
Fortunately, although that is the legislation in Uganda (qualified as to perceived levels of seriousness), the death penalty is practically in abeyance. Relying on Google, the last execution for any offence was in 1999.
Unfortunately, extra-judicial violence remains: ‘Violent attacks and harassment against LGBTQ people are common, often performed or incited by state officials. (Consolidated Violations Against Key Populations 2019 – Uganda. Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (Report). Kampala, Uganda: The Global Fund; HRAPF. p. 51)
I accept your statement about executions, Rowland, but let us not forget that the law has recently changed. The last decade has seen an anti-homosexuality movement of renewed vigour.
The new Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 prescribes life imprisonment for sex between two people of the same biological sex and the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”. The past may not be a good guide to the future.
i assume you mean in Uganda. Having read a bit about intersex and the medical issues, I wonder how they define ‘same biological sex’.
But the big issue is why people are so enslaved by these sex issues. Just look at how many posts there are here, look at how many GS questions are to do with sex.
A bit of googling confirmed that Jomo Kenyatta, to put it simply, did not accept the existence of homosexuals or lesbians, and considered them non-African.
It does make one wonder what he though of those with medical intersex conditions, and what happened to them. Infant mortality was high.
Doctrines against homosexuality were initially promulgated by Islamic traders along the Kenyan coast.
It’s funny, the boys at the Kenyan school I taught at would regularly walk around hand in hand. But the girls didn’t, and certainly not hand in hand with a boy.
Albanian
18 days ago
The appointment of the next bishop of Bedford will be interesting. An early moment for the new diocesan (to be inaugurated/enthroned/begin public ministry in Sept) to discern God’s will for a renewed episcopal team.
Some animadversion at recent diocesan synod that currently the senior staff of the diocese lean rather more progressively than the diocese as a whole.
I’m sceptical about identiarian pigeon-holing and virtue signalling through appointment-making. But a black evangelical, if possible a single celibate same-sex attracted person from the disability community, might make the senior staff more reflective of the diocese they serve/lead.
EagletP
18 days ago
To me, +Richard’s finest moment was something that DIDN’T happen – unlike many towns and cities with large ethnic minorities, there weren’t any significant disturbances in in Luton following the awful Southport attack in 2024. This was the result of a lot of work by him and others in the area of community building and cohesion, seeing off Tommy Robinson and the like. (Regarding Fr Dean’s comments – +Richard’s personal views on LGBT+ weren’t a secret, and he signed the letter a few years ago regarding clergy in same-sex marriages….but in an area with a major Muslim community you can’t… Read more »
There are queer Muslim people too of course. Colluding with an oppressive majority is no more acceptable for Muslims than it is for Christians. Bishops did ought to be prophetic in their ministry.
The lack of comments here is a good, yet sad sign. Good because on the whole on TA we are a critical bunch, and there isn’t much to be critical of when it comes to Bishop Richard. Sad because it means it is easy then not to say anything at all. But much should be said of him, and most of that will be the usual – headline stuff, from the grand and the great. However, more importantly, from personal experience, Bishop Richard is someone who sees beyond the typical and dares to believe in people others may discount. Wishing… Read more »
Lack of comments – in under 24 hours? It’s a great relief that the Synod ‘problem’ seems to have gone away. I’m sure that contributors like myself who don’t know Bishop Richard equally wish him well in retirement.
We can always rely on bishop’s retirements to offer a bit or relief, personally I don’t think they come often enough.
I knew Richard when he was a curate and watched him grow a youth group from about 6 to over 100 teenagers within 2 years. A very talented priest and a pleasure to know. I wish him well in retirement.
As is the lot with suffragan bishops he was very much a ‘company’ man. He toed the party line on sexuality in public and was extremely cautious in private on the subject. The link dioceses in the Caribbean were homophobic and supported the death penalty for gay men; it was sad to see him spinning on a sixpence on the issue.
Are you sure? Which diocese? Evidence?
Google states that No Caribbean country enforces or possesses the death penalty for consensual same-sex acts.
Doesn;t mean that there is no diocese which supports the death penalty, but it makes me curious.
I’m happy to stand corrected. I misremembered the situation. They have been fighting to retain their sodomy laws and the imprisonment of gay men.
i understand. Plenty of countries where same sex acts do have the death penalty, I think.
For about two thirds of the countries in the world where homosexuality is illegal it’s as a legacy of British colonialism, but of those only one, Uganda, has the death penalty.
It is not unusual for diocese with links with Anglican churches abroad to struggle with this issue. In Salisbury I have been instructed not to mention my husband when chatting to a Sudanese bishop.
Another eleven countries have homosexuality as a capital offence, and they are all expressions of Muslim Sharia law.
Fortunately, although that is the legislation in Uganda (qualified as to perceived levels of seriousness), the death penalty is practically in abeyance. Relying on Google, the last execution for any offence was in 1999.
i was not aware of this concerning the Meru:
https://democracyinafrica.org/go-tell-it-to-the-mountain-the-removal-of-the-pride-flag-from-mt-kenya/
Mention of cunnilingus reminded me of Kenyatta’s unrestrained promotion of FGM. Are the two connected?
Unfortunately, extra-judicial violence remains: ‘Violent attacks and harassment against LGBTQ people are common, often performed or incited by state officials. (Consolidated Violations Against Key Populations 2019 – Uganda. Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (Report). Kampala, Uganda: The Global Fund; HRAPF. p. 51)
I accept your statement about executions, Rowland, but let us not forget that the law has recently changed. The last decade has seen an anti-homosexuality movement of renewed vigour.
The new Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 prescribes life imprisonment for sex between two people of the same biological sex and the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”. The past may not be a good guide to the future.
Best wishes.
i assume you mean in Uganda. Having read a bit about intersex and the medical issues, I wonder how they define ‘same biological sex’.
But the big issue is why people are so enslaved by these sex issues. Just look at how many posts there are here, look at how many GS questions are to do with sex.
I think it is too easy to lay all evils at the feet of British colonialism.
Reading Kenyatta’s Facing Mount Kenya nowadays makes it seem, at best, quaint.
I wonder how many babies, who showed symptoms of some categories of intersex, were killed at birth?
A bit of googling confirmed that Jomo Kenyatta, to put it simply, did not accept the existence of homosexuals or lesbians, and considered them non-African.
It does make one wonder what he though of those with medical intersex conditions, and what happened to them. Infant mortality was high.
Doctrines against homosexuality were initially promulgated by Islamic traders along the Kenyan coast.
It’s funny, the boys at the Kenyan school I taught at would regularly walk around hand in hand. But the girls didn’t, and certainly not hand in hand with a boy.
The appointment of the next bishop of Bedford will be interesting. An early moment for the new diocesan (to be inaugurated/enthroned/begin public ministry in Sept) to discern God’s will for a renewed episcopal team.
Some animadversion at recent diocesan synod that currently the senior staff of the diocese lean rather more progressively than the diocese as a whole.
I’m sceptical about identiarian pigeon-holing and virtue signalling through appointment-making. But a black evangelical, if possible a single celibate same-sex attracted person from the disability community, might make the senior staff more reflective of the diocese they serve/lead.
To me, +Richard’s finest moment was something that DIDN’T happen – unlike many towns and cities with large ethnic minorities, there weren’t any significant disturbances in in Luton following the awful Southport attack in 2024. This was the result of a lot of work by him and others in the area of community building and cohesion, seeing off Tommy Robinson and the like. (Regarding Fr Dean’s comments – +Richard’s personal views on LGBT+ weren’t a secret, and he signed the letter a few years ago regarding clergy in same-sex marriages….but in an area with a major Muslim community you can’t… Read more »
Perhaps you meant to say his finest moment so far.
Obituaries are, I hope, a great deal premature. He has not even retired yet, never mind died.
There are queer Muslim people too of course. Colluding with an oppressive majority is no more acceptable for Muslims than it is for Christians. Bishops did ought to be prophetic in their ministry.
Or perhaps uphold their consecration vows to teach and guard the faith:
“be ready, with all faithful diligence, to banish and drive away all erroneous and strange doctrine contrary to God’s Word.”
Not sure I see a lot of that going on among our maanagerialist episcopate.