David Stancliffe | |
|---|---|
| Bishop of Salisbury | |
| Church | Church of England |
| Diocese | Salisbury |
| In office | 1993–2010 |
| Predecessor | John Baker |
| Successor | Nick Holtam |
| Other post | Provost of Portsmouth (1982–1993) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1967 |
| Consecration | 30 November 1993 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1942-10-01)1 October 1942 (age 83) |
| Nationality | British |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Parents | Michael Stancliffe |
| Spouse | Sarah Smith (m. 1965) |
| Profession | Anglican bishop, formermusician |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Oxford |
David Staffurth Stancliffe (born 1 October 1942[1]) is a British retiredAnglicanbishop in theChurch of England. He wasprovost ofPortsmouth Cathedral from 1982 to 1993 andBishop of Salisbury from 1993 to 2010. He is the third generation of his family to be in ordained ministry.
The son ofMichael Stancliffe, aDean of Winchester who was himself ordained at Salisbury Cathedral, Stancliffe was born in 1942 inDevizes, Wiltshire, where his father was curate of St James'Southbroom, later serving atRamsbury andCirencester before becoming chaplain toWestminster School. It was from Westminster School that Stancliffe went toTrinity College, Oxford, to study classics and philosophy and where he wasorgan scholar. He has aMaster of Arts (MA Oxon) degree from Oxford.
While at university, Stancliffe abandoned thoughts of a musical career in favour of ordination and instead went to theological training atCuddesdon College in October 1965.
Stancliffe was ordained as a deacon on 8 December 1967 byJohn Moorman,Bishop of Ripon, at the chapel of theHostel of the Resurrection,University of Leeds[2] and as a priest on 22 December 1968 byHoward Cruse,Bishop of Knaresborough, atRipon Cathedral.[3] Stancliffe served as curate of theLeeds parish ofSt Bartholomew'sArmley. Three years later he returned to the West Country as chaplain toClifton College,Bristol.[4]
In 1977, Stancliffe was appointed a canon residentiary ofPortsmouth Cathedral and the diocesan director of ordinands and, subsequently, the lay ministerial adviser. For a time he also undertook the role of precentor in a combination of duties which recognised his special interests in the areas of liturgy, church architecture and music, while also involving him in clergy formation and training and the work of the parishes in the diocese.
Stancliffe was appointedProvost of Portsmouth in 1982[5] and his major work from then until 1993 was the completion and reordering of Portsmouth Cathedral, shaping its life and work to fulfil its primary function of supporting theBishop of Portsmouth.
Alongside other duties in the Diocese of Portsmouth, he was vice-chairman of the governors of Portsmouth Grammar School, a governor ofChichester Theological College, a member of the governing bodies of the Southern Dioceses Ministerial Training Scheme and of Salisbury & Wells Theological College and chairman of the Southern Regional Institute.
In July 1993, Stancliffe succeededColin James,Bishop of Winchester, as chairman of the Church of England's Liturgical Commission, a position which he held until 2005. He served on the commission from 1986. Work with the commission has involved the publication ofThe Promise of His Glory and the preparation and publication of theCommon Worship liturgies. This significant contribution to the life of the Church of England was recognised by the award byRowan Williams,Archbishop of Canterbury, of aLambethDoctorate in Divinity (DD) in 2004. Stancliffe has been a member of the Council for the Care of Churches.
Stancliffe was consecrated a bishop on 30 November 1993 byGeorge Carey,Archbishop of Canterbury, atWestminster Abbey,[6] and enthronedBishop of Salisbury inSalisbury Cathedral on 9 December 1993. In June 2008, Stancliffe suffered a stroke[7] and while remaining Bishop of Salisbury took a leave of absence from episcopal duties. On 6 January 2010 he announced his intention to retire from the see of Salisbury.[8] His final act as bishop was the ordination of priests at Salisbury Cathedral atPetertide on 3 July 2010.[9] Although he officially retired as of 13 July 2010,[8] he continued in his duties atGeneral Synod and completed his commitments as bishop and member of theHouse of Lords.
He is a fellow ofSt Chad's College, Durham, the president ofAffirming Catholicism and vice-president of the Royal School of Church Music.
On 11 February 2017, fourteen retired bishops signed anopen letter to the then-serving bishops of the Church of England. In an unprecedented move, they expressed their opposition to the House of Bishops' report toGeneral Synod on sexuality, which recommended no change to the church's canons or practises around sexuality.[10] By 13 February, a serving bishop (Alan Wilson,Bishop of Buckingham) and nine further retired bishops — including Stancliffe — had added their signatures;[11] on 15 February, the report was rejected by synod.[12]
At Oxford he met Sarah Smith, a member of the same small choir. They were married at Westminster Abbey in July 1965.
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