John Hind (bishop of Chichester)
John William Hind ( born June 19, 1945 in Watford, Hertfordshire) is an English clergyman. He was from 2001 to 2012, the Bishop of Chichester in the Church of England.
Life and career
Hind attended Watford Grammar School for Boys in Watford in Hertfordshire. He studied at the University of Leeds theology, where he made his Bachelor of Arts in 1966, then he worked as a teacher and as a college lecturer. From 1970 he attended in preparation for the priesthood, the Ripon College Cuddesdon near Oxford. He was ordained a deacon in 1973 in Southwark Cathedral in London as a priest in 1972.
In 1972 he was auxiliary vicar in Catford and held this office until 1976, after he was until 1982 Vicar at Christ Church in Forest Hill. In 1982 he became priest in charge of St Paul Forest Hill and remained so until 1983. From 1982 to 1991 he served as rector of Chichester Theological College. In 1982, he was also canon and Bursalis Präbendar of Chichester Cathedral.
From 1991 to 1993 he was auxiliary bishop in the Church Horsham District in the Diocese of Chichester. During this time he carried the official title of Bishop of Horsham. From 1993 to 2001, Hind Bishop of Gibraltar in the Diocese of Europe.
Hind has held offices in various church organizations. From 1991, he was chairman of the Faith and Order Advisory Group of the Church of England, which advises the House of Bishops in matters of ecumenism. Since 1999 he has been a member of the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches. He is a member of the Inter- Anglican Standing Commission, which is responsible for ecumenical affairs within the Anglican faith communities. In this role, Hind participated in the working group, which was involved in the drafting of the Meissen Agreement on cooperation between the German Lutheran Church and the Church of England.
From 2001 to 2012, he was the successor of Eric Waldram Kemp Bishop of Chichester.
In July 2011, Hind announced his resignation; End of April 2012, he joined officially retired. His successor as Bishop of Chichester, Martin Warner.
Family
Hind is the son of Harold Hind (1914-1997) and Joan Kemp ( 1918-1976 ). He is married to Janet McLintock, a former social worker and current (as of 2009 ) Advisor to the Church of England in matters of child protection for the Diocese of Guildford. They have three children.
Membership in the House of Lords
Hind belonged from 2008 to 2012 as a clergyman Lord the House of Lords on. His political field of interest count Hind Faith and at national and international levels, as well as Europe and Turkey.
Work in the public
In canonical questions Hind represents a conservative point of view. He is regarded as a traditionalist. This was particularly evident in his attitude to the issue of homosexuality.
In 2003, he signed an open letter as one of 17 bishops of the Church of England, which rejected the nomination of Jeffrey John, an openly gay priest who lived in a committed relationship as Auxiliary Bishop of Reading.
Hind is hostile to initiatives relating to the registered partnership.
In the session of the Commission on Faith and Order issues in the Orthodox Academy in Gonia monastery on the island of Crete in October 2009 Hind welcomed the speech of the Metropolitan of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church, Geevarghese Mor Coorilos, and emphasized similarities between the two churches.
In October 2009, he publicly declared that he intended to convert to Catholicism. Distortions in Anglicanism would make it impossible for him to remain in the Church of England. Condition is, however, for him, that the Catholic Church recognizes his former priesthood in full. Later Hind expressed to the effect that his initial remarks had been misunderstood. Although he welcomed the invitation of Pope Benedict XVI. to the Anglican church in light of a full community of faith, he himself would however remain a member of the Church of England.