THE next Bishop of Truro is to be Canon Philip Mounstephen, currently the executive leader of the Church Mission Society (CMS). His nomination was announced by Downing Street on Thursday.

Canon Mounstephen is to become the 16th Bishop of Truro, and succeeds the Rt Revd Tim Thornton, who joined the Archbishop of Canterbury’s staff as Bishop at Lambeth last year (News, 7 April 2017).

Canon Mounstephen said: “I am absolutely delighted to have been called to lead the diocese of Truro in mission and ministry. With my family roots in Cornwall, I am very well aware of what a rich Christian heritage we have.

“I rejoice in Cornwall’s strong sense of identity, and I look forward under God into leading us in what I hope and pray will be a fruitful and exciting future.”

Before joining the CMS in 2012, Canon Mounstephen was chaplain of St Michael’s, Paris, and Vicar of St James’s, Streatham.

Cornwall is a region that has been particularly hard hit by rural poverty. Bishop Thornton said, in 2016, that it was “not at all surprising” that it existed (Features, 2 December 2016).

The Bishop of St Germans, Dr Chris Goldsmith, who has been acting Bishop of Truro, said that Canon Mountstephen would bring to the diocese “a great deal of energy and expertise, both in terms of his experience of parish and chaplaincy ministry and as somebody who has been a successful leader of a large and complex mission agency”.

Canon Mounstephen is married to Ruth, who works in the charity sector, and has one adult daughter. His consecration is expected to take place in early 2019.