TRIBUTES have been paid to Lord Harries of Pentregarth, who died on Wednesday at the age of 89.
A former British Army officer, he was the Bishop of Oxford from 1987 to 2006, and was Gresham Professor of Divinity from 2008 to 2012. Ordained in 1963, he was Warden of Salisbury and Wells Theological College, Vicar of All Saints’, Fulham, and Dean of King’s College, London, before his elevation to the episcopate.
On his retirement, he was created a life peer.
A regular contributor to the Church Times for several decades, and to BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day, he wrote 26 books. These included The Beauty and the Horror: Searching for God in a suffering world (Books, 2 December 2016), Haunted by Christ: Modern writers and the struggle for faith (Books, 2 November 2018); Seeing God in Art: The Christian faith in 30 images (Books, 9 April 2020); and his memoir, The Shaping of a Soul: A life taken by surprise (Books, 6 April 2023, Podcast, 21 April 2023).
The Archbishop of Canterbury wrote on social media on Thursday: “The death of Bishop Richard Harries is a great loss not just to the Church of England but to the country at large. His wisdom, compassion and profound commitment to the common good will be missed in the Church, the House of Lords and beyond. As I pray for his family and all who mourn, I give thanks to God for a life so well lived in service to Jesus Christ. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.”
The Bishop of Oxford, Dr Steven Croft, said on Thursday: “Bishop Richard will be remembered by very many people across the diocese for his intelligence and kindness, his good humour, and his deep pastoral wisdom. He made a very significant impact beyond the life of the Church in the life of the nation through his ministry in the House of Lords and his writing and broadcasting, particularly on Thought for the Day. He made key contributions to Christian ethics and to interfaith relationships, particularly the relationship between Christianity and Judaism, both in Oxford and more widely.”
Lord Harries had been “one of the very best speakers” in the House of Lords, Dr Croft said. “His speech on assisted dying in September stood out among scores of speeches that day for its clarity and compassion.”
The Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, described Lord Harries in a statement as “a rare example of humane, intelligent and compassionate Anglicanism, serving the Church of England and the nation with great distinction”.
Bishop Chessun continued: “He and [his wife] Jo were devoted parishioners of St Mary’s, Barnes, and we were privileged that he was an Honorary Assistant Bishop of the Diocese. Bishop Richard was a distinguished member of the House of Lords — I was present when he spoke for the last time at the end of March on the Assisted Dying Bill, which he did with great authority and without a single note.
“His writings explored the implications of the Faith with searching conviction that was credible yet humble. His Thoughts for the Day on Radio 4 were beautifully crafted, and frequently demonstrated his love of art. I give thanks for his life and witness, and commend him as well as Jo and their family to your prayers at this time of loss.”
The editor of the Church Times, Sarah Meyrick, said: “We will miss Richard Harries enormously at the Church Times. He was a public intellectual and a wonderful thinker. His pieces for us were always well argued and interesting — and always delivered to us on time. His most recent contribution was a thoughtful piece on the atonement for our Holy Week issue.
“At a personal level, he was modest, gracious, and a delight to deal with. In other words, any editor’s dream. He will be much missed and mourned by his many admirers.”
AlamyLord Harries with Richard Beatty at The Oldie of the Year lunch in February
On BBC 4’s Today on Thursday, the novelist Rhidian Brook, another Thought for the Day contributor and a close friend, said that Lord Harries had “a brain the size of a planet and a very nimble mind: he could pluck gold from the air — a quote here, a quote there.
“But he was full of humour . . . he took delight in the world. . . He had this gift of being able to help people see God in poetry, in prose, in art. He was always nudging people towards thinking about God. I think of the quote of St Paul, ‘Whatever is true, noble, pure, lovely — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.’ And I think that was his gift.”
He continued: “He thought outside the [church] building to those who weren’t necessarily people of faith, and he was able to join the dots for people when it came to faith. He paid attention to the world. He saw its darkness, he saw its horror . . . but he always saw the light as overcoming the darkness.”
The Today presenter Nick Robinson said: “He always entered this studio with a smile and often left it with a wave. He gave people solace and comfort, and he provoked us all to think, which is, after all, the very point of Thought for the Day.”
Amol Rajan, another Today presenter, described Lord Harries as a “prolific author and a brilliant mind”.
The Labour MP Chris Bryant, whose memoirs Lord Harries reviewed for the Church Times (Books, 22 August 2025) paid tribute on X: “I’m very sorry to hear that Richard Harries has died. He was a lovely kind intelligent and spiritual man who served as Bishop of Oxford and a member of the House of Lords. Many will know his books or his radio appearances. But I knew him as the man who ordained me.”
In one of his final articles for the Church Times, Lord Harries wrote: “This life is a journey and a preparation for something beyond it. What is beyond is not simply an extension of this life, or this kind of life lived elsewhere. It is that in which all things come together, which exists as an end in itself” (Analysis, 23 January).
Obituary