A TRADITIONALIST English
bishop, the Rt Revd John Ford, Suffragan Bishop of Plymouth in the
diocese of Exeter, is to be the next Bishop of The Murray, in South
Australia.
Bishop Ford
(right), who has held his present appointment since 2005,
is the Bishop Co-ordinator for the province of Canterbury of the
Mission Society of St Wilfrid and St Hilda. The society supports a
"structured provision with jurisdiction for those who remain
committed to the Church of England, but are unconvinced that it has
the authority to admit women to the episcopate or
presbyterate".
His election, by a 12-person
committee, was announced in the diocese last Sunday. The diocese
has 26 parishes, some of which are in Adelaide suburbs. Bishop Ford
will be enthroned on 6 December.
The diocese has been without
a bishop since Bishop Ross Davies resigned in September 2010, on
the eve of a hearing into his conduct by the General Synod Special
Tribunal (News, 1 October 2010). The tribunal upheld eight of nine
misconduct charges brought against Bishop Davies by the Archbishop
of Adelaide, and the then Bishop of Willochra.
The Primate of Australia, Dr
Phillip Aspinall, removed Bishop Davies from office (
News, 7 January 2011).
Women are not ordained to the diaconate or presbyterate in the
diocese of The Murray.