The Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, the Rt Revd Martin Seeley, will retire on 28 February 2025. He will be 70 on 29 May 2024, but has given an extension by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The CNC meetings to choose a successor will be held on 4 March 2025 and 28-29 April 2025.
So far as I am aware this has not been publshed anywhere online, although I understand that diocesan clergy were advised of the date in an ad clerum some time ago.
I have nothing against the individual, but …
Why the extension of time? It has been known for Years when he would be 70 and expected to retire. This seems to suggest a lack of forethought and planning; maybe there is no-one thought of as having Diocesan ‘qualities’, in contrast to the Worcester requirements?
40 odd Diocesans, and however many more Suffragans, means several appointments needed every year.
You ask an appropriate and understandable question. Archbishop Justin granted a 12 months extension (which Bishop Martin later reduced, in effect, to 9 months for personal reasons) in recognition of the significant amount of time Martin had spent in recent years away from the diocese on central Church matters, and to give him time to concentrate on diocesan issues in his final year in office before retirement. The position is governed by section 3(1) of the Ecclesiastical Offices (Age Limit) Measure 1975 Where— (a) an archbishop considers that there are special circumstances which make it desirable that a person holding… Read more »
thank you. This is exactly the sort of helpful response we should see more of on TA. There’s lots to exasperate or depress, much that needs to be challenged, but being well informed helps reduce tension, as I tried to indicate on another thread, about careless baptism of refugees. Not sure I succeeded there…
At the risk of overdoing the pedantry, the 1975 measure has been superseded by s.29A of Common Tenure regulations, introduced in 2017, which set out how bishops and other dignitaries can be extended to 75, and parish clergy indefinitely, with agreement from the appropriate superior, and PCCs in the case of parishes – see https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2017-10/terms-of-service-regulations-updated-to-july-2017.pdf
When Frank Woods of the Woods dynasty (Theodore, Edward, Robin) arrived in Melbourne in December 1957 having been elected Archbishop, one of his first acts was to pay a social call on the RC Archbishop Daniel Mannix. He wished him a happy Christmas and expressed admiration on his being in office at age 93. Mannix remained in the post until his death in November 1963, about eight months into his 100th year. I recall that in a thread to which I contributed a couple of years or so ago Bob Santamaria featured, and there was a reply from ‘Froghole’. Santamaria… Read more »
Or maybe we should question the hard retirement age of 70?
I remember Bishop Seeley when he was our curate in the parish of Bottesford with Ashby. A nice chap. I hope he enjoys his retirement with his family.