TWO new bishops have been elected for dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Canon Ian Paton is to be consecrated as the Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld & Dunblane, and the Very Revd Andrew Swift is to be the Bishop of Brechin.

The Primus, the Most Revd Mark Strange, said: “I look forward to welcoming both Ian and Andrew to the College of Bishops, and to working with them, and I am sure that the diocese of Brechin and the diocese of St Andrews, Dunkeld & Dunblane will look forward to their respective leadership and inspiration in the future development of Mission and Ministry across each of the dioceses.”

Canon Paton has been Rector of Old St Paul’s, Edinburgh, since 1997, and is also an Honorary Chaplain of Edinburgh University, Canon of St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, and Associate Tutor at the Scottish Episcopal Institute. He supports the ordination of women, the rights of LGBTQI people, and the inclusion of people of all ages in the Church.

He and his wife have four grown-up children between them. He was, he said, “very happy and deeply honoured” by his appointment. He was elected from a shortlist of four candidates, which included the Dean of St Albans, the Very Revd Dr Jeffrey John.

Dean Swift has been Dean of Argyll & The Isles since 2012, Rector of Dunoon and of Rothesay since 2010, and a member of the SEC General Synod since 2011. He is also a Deputy Lieutenant of Argyll and Bute. Before his ordination, he worked in the shipbuilding industry and as a civil-service research engineer. He also held a commission in the RAF. He and his wife, Mary, have three children.

He said that he looked forward “to working with all the Scottish Episcopal Churches of Brechin to help them build up their confidence, witness, and mission”.

SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCHCanon Ian Paton