Sponsored by
New bishop will fight for truth and justice
Portsmouth's new bishop has said he is 'honoured and excited' to take on the role.
Christopher Foster was this morning announced as the man who will step into Dr Kenneth Stevenson's shoes.
He pledged to lead a caring church and to stand up for truth and justice.
The 56-year-old will not officially take up the role until he is installed at a service to be held at Portsmouth Cathedral later this year.
Bishop Christopher comes to Portsmouth from Hertford, where he was appointed to the diocese of St Albans, which covers Bedforshire, Hertfordshire, Luton and Barnet, in 2001.
He said: 'I am honoured and excited to be invited to be Bishop of Portsmouth. There will be much to discover as I get to know this part of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, the people, villages and towns.
'My role as Bishop of Portsmouth will be to lead a church that cares for people, encourages discipleship, shares in God's mission, and stands for truth and justice.'
Bishop Christopher, who is married to Sally and has two grown-up children, Richard and Miriam, is patron of a local media trust, of which he was previously a working trustee. He also chairs the finance committee of the University of Hertfordshire, chaired the organisation Churches Together in Hertfordshire and represents the Church of England at Churches Together in England.
This morning, Bishop Christopher's new role was officially announced by Downing Street. and he was due in the city today to go on a short tour of his new diocese.
His first stop was to be the Spinnaker Tower, which overlooks the 142 parishes in south-east Hampshire he will cover.
He was then due to visit St Matthew's C of E Primary School, near Petersfield, before attending a short service at Portsmouth's Anglican Cathedral.
The appointment comes five months after Bishop Kenneth, who has fought a long battle with leukaemia, announced that he was stepping down.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Portsmouth
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: -4 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North west
