The Diocese of London has announced that the Rt Revd Adrian Newman will be resigning on health grounds as Bishop of Stepney and will withdraw from public duties at the end of October.
Bishop of Stepney to step down
Ad Clerum from the Bishop of Stepney
A message to the Diocese from Bishop Sarah
So… is this moment for Lucy Winkett to be plucked-out of the long grass in Piccadilly? I do hope so. We desperately need a bishop who will not be afraid to say it how it is. God forbid that we end up with yet another ‘safe’ prefect who will not rock the boat. As any canal-boat owner will know, when you run aground, it is the only way to get back on track. By the way, that’s not a back-handed comment about +Adrian’s ministry – more a reflection of the national situation and how the next Bishop of Stepney might… Read more »
I don’t know + Adrian and have nothing against Lucy Winkett, but I do think it’s very bad policy for someone to be appointed archdeacon or bishop from within the diocese. Hopefully Lucy Winkett will soon be preferred to a senior role in another diocese.
Adrian is my cousin, and a kinder and more decent person you could not hope to meet. He is one of the most open-minded, balanced people I know. His leadership in Stepney is a real loss to the Church. Hopefully after a time of recovery he may be able to reclaim a rich and rewarding life with Gill in the service of Christ. Many of us have times in life when – if we are wise – it’s best to step back and reconnect with God, and with ourselves. Amazing things can happen because God is a God of such… Read more »
Bishop Adrian should be congratulated and thanked for his courage and openness in sharing the details of his medical condition, not least the “mental health” aspects of it. It can be very frustrating to hear of the resignation of a public figure (or sometimes the withdrawal of a nominee) on health grounds, with no details supplied. Clearly the person concerned is entitled to some privacy at a time of vulnerability, but the absence of additional information leaves us asking a number of predictable questions: have they had a breakdown? is it the big “C”? and so on. On one level… Read more »
What is the big ‘C’?
Cancer.
As a migraine sufferer myself, I know how debilitating they can be. My love and prayers for Bishop Adrian and his family. I hope that a period of complete rest will see him able to pick up a far less stressful but no less rewarding ministry as God leads him.
A great sadness as the Bishop of Stepney is surely one of the best preachers in the Church of England. He was an inspirational and imaginative preacher during his tenure as Dean of Rochester. I do hope and pray that his health improves and that he is well enough to enjoy a long, happy and healthy retirement.
Is there really no treatment for migraine that could allow Adrian Newman to continue working? Talented and principled people like him are not common.
And there may be other reasons why Lucy Winkett is not yet a Bishop.