THE General Synod's Secretary General, William Fittall, is to
step down on 30 November, a week after the induction and
inauguration of the new Synod.
Mr Fittall, who is 61, graduated from Oxford, and immediately
entered the civil service, in which his appointments included
Private Secretary to the Northern Ireland Secretary. He also headed
the Counter-Terrorism Division of the Home Office.
"After a succession of demanding roles I have, with my wife,
concluded that the time has come for me to retire from full-time
work and move to a more flexible pattern of life," Mr Fittall said
on Friday.
"When the time comes, there will be more to say about the
experience and privilege of having occupied this unique role. In
the mean time, there is still much work to be done, not least in
relation to the reform and renewal programme, the Church's
engagement with government after the forthcoming election, and the
preparations for a new synodical quinquennium."
The Archbishop of Canterbury said that Mr Fittall had made "a
substantial and prodigious contribution to the work and life of the
Church of England. For over a decade he has been unstinting in his
efforts to ably lead the staff of the Council and professionally
support the work of the Synod. He has been indefatigable in his
service and I will personally miss him greatly."
The search for his successor as Secretary General to the Synod
and the Archbishops' Council is to begin immediately.