The Archbishop of Canterbury praised the commitment of Bishop Christopher Foster to the Isle of Wight as he stepped down as Bishop of Portsmouth on Friday.
His tribute came ahead of a farewell service at Portsmouth Cathedral, which marked the end of Bishop Christopher’s time leading the Church of England in South East Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The Most Rev Justin Welby made his comments earlier in the day, at the Church’s General Synod.
He said:
“As well as being very diligent, Bishop Christopher is well known for his pastoral care. One example is the way he has been deeply committed visiting to the Isle of Wight, which has involved spending a phenomenal amount of time on the fast cat, hovercraft and ferries – and a lot of time waiting for them.
“He was the complete expert at working every occasion, whether with 1,000 pupils at the island’s church secondary school, or at any number of small village schools or parish celebrations. Chris and Sally are also famous and much-loved for their hospitality. One sign of it is that they have four dishwashers.
“He has led with distinction in the House of Lords, on behalf of the bishops and archbishops, on economic affairs and defence. And he has co-chaired the English and Welsh Anglican and Roman Catholic committee, with his usual care and diligence. This springs from a deep concern for unity and ensuring the voice of the Church of England is heard loud and clear.
“Most recently in the diocese, Chris has been remarkable in leading new ways of bringing churches together and facing the diocese with the challenges of decline in congregational numbers and the nature of society. I’m extremely supportive of all Chris has done in this regard. I believe the diocese and wider Church owes him a debt of gratitude for truly seeking to pioneer extremely complicated matters relating to pastoral reorganisation. It was imaginative and radical.”
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Bishop Christopher’s farewell service ended with him handing over his crozier and processing to the west door of Portsmouth Cathedral with his family, marking the end of his time as Bishop of Portsmouth. The whole congregation rose to applaud, thanking him for a decade of faithful service to the diocese and the community.
Bishop Christopher paid tribute to colleagues past and present, leaders of our communities, those in the Church of England and wider Anglican Church, his family – and particularly his wife Sally and children Richard and Miriam.
“Richard and Miriam’s extraordinary gifts and commitment, their generosity and grace owe more to their loved and loving mother Julia than to me,” he said. “Through them, her huge contribution to my life and ministry lives on. Sally and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary a couple of days ago. As well as undertaking a significant ministry as rector of Holy Trinity with St Columba, Sally has been for me the epitome of discretion, judgement and confidentiality. Her support has been invaluable.
“There is much I leave undone and still to do. Where I have failed you or fallen short, I am sorry. Where we have grown in depth, impact and number, let’s rejoice. Thank you all for helping me as we have tried together to build God’s kingdom, and the coming of that kingdom is my deepest hope and prayer.
“We are proud to be Portsmouth, I am proud to have been Portsmouth with you, but prouder still to have been your fellow disciples. Thank you.”
Bishop Christopher had delayed his retirement to lead the Diocese of Portsmouth through the COVID [pandemic. The process to find his successor has already begun, with meetings of the Crown Nominations Commission, chaired by the Archbishop of Canterbury, expected to identify suitable candidates for the post this summer.
Sally has been for me the epitome of discretion, judgement and confidentiality
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aye aye – what does she know then – what has the old bish been up to that needs discretion -lol