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The Rt Rev Roy Williamson, Belfast born Bishop of Southwark

The Right Reverend Roy Williamson, who has died aged 86, was Bishop of Bradford for seven years before being translated to Southwark in 1991.

In both dioceses he was warmly regarded both as a preacher and a pastor, noted for his care of individuals and communities. Clergy in distress might receive a handwritten postcard from their bishop, who seemed to have an uncanny knack of being available to respond just when needed.

During his episcopate in West Yorkshire his ability to listen, understand and bring people together was particularly appreciated at the time of the fire at Bradford City football ground and also in the wake of the Salman Rushdie affair.

His considered conversations with the Muslim community made him a natural choice, while at Southwark, for a five-year stint as Co-Chairman of the Inter-Faith Network for the UK.

Always known as Roy (except in formal documents), Robert Kerr Williamson was born on December 8 1932, the youngest of 14 children of a Belfast shipyard worker. His older brothers and sisters were much involved with local Church of Ireland social activities and Williamson naturally ended up in the Sunday school and choir, where the seeds of his faith were sown.

He left school at the age of 14 and went to work first in the shipyard and then as a door-to-door salesman for a leather footwear firm. In 1954 he accompanied his girlfriend, Anne Boyd Smith, to join the protestant Irish Church Mission to Roman Catholics. But as Williamson himself reflected: “I couldn’t stand the narrowness.”

After two years he married Anne and the couple moved to the London City Mission, exercising a ministry of street evangelism and social care in partnership with Southwark Cathedral, where Williamson was licensed as a Lay Reader in 1957.

Encouraged by friends and colleagues, Williamson was increasingly drawn to seek Holy Orders, but lacked the required minimum of five O-levels. He obtained these by studying at Kingston Polytechnic before training for ordination at Oak Hill theological college.

He was ordained in 1963 to a curacy at Crowborough in the diocese of Chichester. Three years later he moved to Nottingham, where from 1966 until 1979 he served as incumbent of three parishes in succession. In 1978 he was appointed Archdeacon of Nottingham, an area he came to know and love and to which he returned to live in retirement.

When invited in 1984 by the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, to accept nomination to the Bishopric of Bradford, Williamson protested to no avail: “I’ve no degree. You can’t be a bishop without a degree!” Three years later he suffered a serious heart attack, but a period of rest and recuperation enabled him to resume his duties.

After seven years in Bradford, Williamson was again taken by surprise to receive another prime ministerial letter – this time from John Major – inviting him to accept the See of Southwark. This time he tried to use his health as a reason for not moving, but as he recalled: “My trump card was trumped when my doctor said, ‘If the Church is asking you to do this task there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t.’ ”

Roy Williamson, right, as Bishop of Southwark, with John Waine, Bishop of Chelmsford, and David Hope, Archbishop of York

There was some concern in Southwark as to how a bishop of Williamson’s Evangelical pedigree could lead a diocese known for its liberal tendencies, not least in respect of gay clergy. But his experiences of growing up in Northern Ireland and ministering to the diverse communities of Bradford had made him averse to stereotyping others; and he was not going to be stereotyped himself.

To the relief of many – and to the disappointment of some of his erstwhile conservative colleagues – Williamson’s outlook and attitudes had become considerably more liberal over the years, not only in his care and appreciation for the pastoral ministry of all his clergy but also in his support for the ordination of women to the priesthood.

He faced protests when in 1995 he declared in a Radio 4 interview that he would consider ordaining gay clergy who were in a stable relationship; and in 2017 he was one of 14 retired bishops who signed an open letter expressing opposition to the report by the House of Bishops which had recommended no change to Church of England’s canons of practice in relation to human sexuality. The signatories argued that the report had failed to heed the voice of LGBT people.

Meanwhile, Williamson’s gifts as a communicator were put to good use on the Central Religious Advisory Committee to the BBC and Independent Television Council. He chaired the committee from 1993 to 1997.

Known for his sense of humour, and not least his self-deprecating Irish jokes, Williamson listed walking, birdwatching and music among his recreations.

His wife, Anne, who had been a strong support and partner in ministry, died of cancer in 2004. He is survived by their two daughters and three sons.

The Rt Rev Roy Williamson, born December 8 1932, died September 17 2019


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