Bishop of Salisbury suffers stroke
THE Bishop of Salisbury, Dr David Stancliffe, was admitted to Bournemouth hospital last week after suffering a stroke. The Bishop’s diary has been cleared for the foreseeable future.
The Bishop of Ramsbury, Stephen Conway, said this morning that Dr Stancliffe is now resting in hospital and that the outlook is looking good for his recovery. "He and Sarah are very grateful for the many messages, cards and letters they have received and for the knowledge that so many people are praying for them," he said.
Bishop Conway has met with the The Bishop of Sherborne, the Rt Revd Tim Thornton, and other members of the senior staff team to arrange to cover Bishop David's commitments in the Diocese while he is away.
Priest’s assailant given suspended sentence
BABUL ISLAM, 19, of Limehouse, east London, received a four-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months after pleading guilty to attacking Canon Michael Ainsworth at St George’s-in-the-East in London. The teenager was also ordered to carry out 100 hours’ community service, and pay Canon Ainsworth £1000 compensation, after the attack in March, which left the priest hospitalised. Comment
Post-office closures ‘ill thought out’
THE Bishop of Exeter, the Rt Revd Michael Langrish, has said that proposals to close post offices in Devon will be “highly damaging” to the county, and leave people fearing for their future. “These proposals are ill thought out and fail to recognise the nature of rural life, particularly in areas with small and often quite isolated rural communities such as Devon.”