Michael Evans (bishop)

Michael Charles Evans ( born August 10, 1951 in Southwark, London, † July 11, 2011 in Norwich ) was a British Roman Catholic theologian and Bishop of East Anglia.

Life

After attending school Evans studied at St. John Seminary and received on June 22, 1975 his ordination to the priesthood in the Archdiocese of Southwark. After a subsequent work as a chaplain of the parish of St. Elizabeth in Richmond, he completed between 1977 and 1979 postgraduate studies at Heythrop College, University of London and graduated with a masters in theology.

Then in 1979 he returned back to St John 's Seminary, where he was a lecturer in dogmatic theology. He earned over the diocese also wide recognition for his teachings and was also known by the implementation of an annual program for adult religious education. Last time was 1985-1987 Vice - rector of the seminary, and thus representative of Peter Smith, who later became the second Bishop of East Anglia and Archbishop of Southwark. After completing his teaching, he was pastor of St. Augustine in 1987 in Tunbridge Wells in Kent.

On 14 February 2003 he was appointed by Pope John Paul II as the successor of Peter Smith for the third bishop of the Diocese of East Anglia, which includes Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and Norfolk. In March 2003, he received in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Norwich by Cormac Cardinal Murphy - O'Connor, Archbishop of Westminster, the episcopal ordination. Co-consecrators were Peter Smith, at that time Archbishop of Cardiff, and the Archbishop of Southwark, Michael George Bowen.

Evans was appointed to promote the unity of Christians as one of the eight Catholic members of the International Joint Commission for Dialogue Between the Roman Catholic Church and the World Methodist Council by the Pontifical Council in 1997. He spent 27 years annually a week's stay at the Taizé Community.

Evans died after a long-term fight against prostate cancer, which was diagnosed in 2005 with him.