Graham James (bishop)

Graham Richard James ( born January 19, 1951 in Bideford, Devon ) is a British Anglican clergyman and in 1999 Bishop of Norwich.

Life and career

James' family is originally from Cornwall, where many family members worked in the tin mines.

James studied History at Lancaster University and received a Bachelor of Arts in 1972. In 1972 he began his studies of theology at Ripon College Cuddesdon. He was ordained a deacon in Peterborough and 1976 1975 a priest.

From 1975 to 1979 he worked as an assistant vicar at Christ the Carpenter Church in Peterborough. From 1979 to 1982 he was parish administrator ( Priest- in-Charge ) at the Church of Christ the King in Digswell in the diocese of St Albans. Later, he was Dean (Team Vicar) in Digswell and Panshanger.

In 1983, he became Senior Selection Secretary to the Archbishops ' Council of the Church of England and was responsible for selecting and overseeing the training of candidates for the priesthood. He held until 1987 this office. From 1987 to 1993 he was chaplain to Robert Runcie, the former Archbishop of Canterbury.

From 1993 to 1999 he was Bishop of St. Germans ( Bishop of St. Germans ) in the Diocese of Truro. Since 1995 he is member of the General Synod of the Church of England. Since 1999 he has been bishop of Norwich.

From 2001 to 2006 he was chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Rural Affairs ( Rural Bishops panel ). During the same period he was also a board member of the Countryside Agency ( British countryside Authority) and from 2003 in the strategic partnership between Norfolk County (Norfolk County Strategic Partnership). From 2004 to 2008 he was chairman of the Central Religious Advisory Committee of the BBC, which advises the BBC on religious issues. Since 2005 he has been Chairman of the Norfolk Community Foundation. In the same year he was president of the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association.

Since 2006 he is a member of the Council of the archbishops ( Archbishops ' Council). In the same year he became Chairman of the Ministry Division of the Church of England, the ecclesiastical department, which advises the House of Bishops, the bishops and the clergy in matters of priests selection and training of priests and initiates. Since 2009 he has been Chairman of the Standing Conference "Religion and faith " (Standing Conference on Religion and Belief ) the BBC.

James is married. With his wife Julie, he has three children, two daughters and a son. A daughter died at six months in childhood.

Membership in the House of Lords

James belongs since 2004 to the House of Lords. His inaugural address was delivered on 21 April 2004. Among his political areas of interest he counts rural issues, broadcasting, and education and training.

Work in the public

2005 James led a working group within the Church of England to develop proposals for the implementation of the Civil Partnership Act adopted in 2004 within the church. The pastoral statement on civil partnerships, which had been in charge worked out by James, made clear that homosexual priests of the Church of England may marry her partner in a civil partnership, without thereby losing their priesthood. Condition is, however, that the priest concerned over their competent bishop to make a commitment that their partnership without intercourse is. According to press reports, James played a crucial key role in drafting the guidelines.

In 2008, he criticized the bishops who threatened not to want to attend the Lambeth Conference over the issue of homosexuality. James, said that the refusal of the bishops to attend the conference, constitutes a change in the previous views separately, which could lead to harm to the unity of the Church.

In December 2008, James Gordon Brown accused of being responsible for the persecution of Christians in Iraq, as it would ignore this problem. James said that the Iraq war had terrible consequences for the Christian minority in Iraq. While Christians would have been tolerated more under the government of Saddam Hussein, they are now exposed to constant persecution. You would be taken hostage, places of worship were destroyed and set on fire.

In April 2009, he spoke in his sermon at Easter to the death of Jade Goody. In May 2009, James said in his sermon at Pentecost at the Cathedral of Norwich to the current expenses scandal within the Parliament. Prior to the British local elections and elections to the European Parliament several senior British politicians and members of the government were massive fallen into the public criticism due to unclear expense reports. James explained that irregularities in expenditure of MPs could not get alone by legal regulations in the handle. Rather, one must realize that there is this going especially a moral crisis, not a legal or constitutional issues.