Frederick James Hiltz (born 3 December 1953) is a Canadian retired

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

bishop. From 2007 to 2019, he served as

Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada The Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada (referred to in older documents as the Primate of All Canada or the Primate of Canada "Thirty-seven Welfare Organisations Ask Your Help!", Federation for Community Service. ca 1934-6.) is the primate of ...

Early life and education

Hiltz was born in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, where he was also raised. He earned his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree at

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus in Saint John, New Brunswick. Dalhousie offer ...

in 1975 (major in biology) and obtained his

master of divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and di ...

degree at the

Atlantic School of Theology Atlantic School of Theology (AST) is a Canadian public ecumenical university that provides graduate level theological education and undertakes research to assist students to prepare for Christian ministries and other forms of public leadership. ...

in 1978. He received an honorary

doctor of divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

degree in 2002 from the

University of King's College The University of King's College, established in 1789, is in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.Roper, Henry. "Aspects of the History of a Loyalist College: King's College, Windsor, and Nova Scotian Higher Education in the Nineteenth Century." Anglic ...

, Halifax.Hiltz bio
Retrieved 7 July 2007

Ordained ministry

Hiltz was ordained a deacon on 3 June 1977 and a priest on 29 June 1979.
Retrieved 7 July 2007 He served in a number of parishes within the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island: Christ Church, Sydney; Melford-Guysborough; Timberlea-Lakeside; The Cathedral Church of All Saints, Halifax; and St. John's Church, Lunenburg. In 1994, Hiltz was elected suffragan bishop (an

assistant bishop An assistant bishop in the Anglican Communion is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop. Church of England In the established Church of England, assistant bishops are usually retired (diocesan or suffragan) bishops – in which case the ...

without an automatic right of succession) of the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. He was consecrated as a bishop the same year. He became diocesan bishop in 2002. Since 2007, he has been Anglican co-chair of the Anglican-Lutheran International Commission.

Primate

Hiltz was elected primate on 22 June 2007, and installed as primate on 25 June. ''

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'' newspaper described him as a " liberal-leaning bishop". He is considered a moderate theological liberal and he opposes the death penalty. He supports, and voted in favour of, the blessing of same-sex unions at the 2007 General Synod that elected him. In recent years, Hiltz has undertaken a televised joint Christmas message with the National Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, carrying into greater fulfillment past declarations of Anglican–Lutheran solidarity. In October 2009, he was reportedly dismayed by Pope

Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereig ...

's invitation to welcome groups of disaffected Anglicans into the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Hiltz announced in January 2018 that he had submitted his notice of intention to resign as primate as of the conclusion of the 42nd General Synod in July 2019.

Residential schools

In 2017, Hiltz issued a strongly-worded rebuke entitled "There was nothing good: An open letter to Canadian Senator Lynn Beyak" who had stated that Canadians ignore the "abundance of good" that happened in residential schools.

Personal life

Hiltz has described his hobbies as the care of animals (two Labrador retrievers and a cat), reading, gardening and woodworking. He is married to Lynne Samways Hiltz.Lynne Samways Hiltz now looking forward to life in Toronto
Retrieved 7 July 2007 They have one son, Nathan (age 35 ), who is a jazz guitarist and music teacher in Toronto.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hiltz, Fred 1953 births 21st-century Anglican archbishops People from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Trinity College (Canada) alumni Living people Canadian Anglican priests Canadian people of German descent Anglican bishops of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island Dalhousie University alumni Primates of the Anglican Church of Canada