Anthony Martin Priddis (born 15 March 1948) was the

Bishop of Hereford The Bishop of Hereford is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury. Until 1534, the Diocese of Hereford was in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church and two of its bishop ...

in the

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from 2004 to 2013.

Ministry

Ordination

Having gained a Cambridge Master of Arts (MA), an Oxford Master of Arts (MA) and a

Diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offi ...

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(DipTh),Church of England — Bishop of Hereford
Priddis was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

in 1972 and began his ordained ministry as a

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Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

Diocese of Oxford

In 1975 Priddis moved to

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...

in the

Diocese of Oxford The Diocese of Oxford is a Church of England diocese that forms part of the Province of Canterbury. The diocese is led by the Bishop of Oxford (currently Steven Croft (bishop), Steven Croft), and the bishop's seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, ...

and held a number of positions, including St John's High Wycombe and St Mary's

Amersham Amersham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills, northwest of central London, south-east of Aylesbury and north-east of High Wycombe. Amersham is part of the London commuter belt. There ar ...

Bishop of Warwick

Priddis became the Bishop of Warwick in the

Diocese of Coventry The Diocese of Coventry is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury. It is headed by the Bishop of Coventry, who sits at Coventry Cathedral in Coventry, and is assisted by one suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Warwick. The dioce ...

in 1996.

Bishop of Hereford

Priddis was appointed the

in the

Diocese of Hereford The Diocese of Hereford is a Church of England diocese based in Hereford, covering Herefordshire, southern Shropshire and a few parishes within Worcestershire in England, and a few parishes within Powys and Monmouthshire in Wales. The cathedral i ...

in March 2004. The appointment was the first time a bishop had been appointed by the

following external advertising.Profile of Anthony Priddis

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He retired on 24 September 2013. In April 2007, Priddis was in the news as having vetoed the appointment of a gay youth officer who then brought Employment Tribunal proceedings against him claiming unlawful discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The youth officer was not in a sexual relationship but could not assure Priddis that he would remain celibate. The proceedings were successful and Priddis was found to have acted unlawfully by discriminating against the youth officer because of his sexuality. Although English law refers to "orientation", the EU interprets orientation to also include behaviour. The diocese failed to agree a settlement and in February 2008 was ordered by the Employment Tribunal to pay the youth worker over £47,000 in compensation.Thinking Anglicans digest of news reports 8 February 2008
/ref> The Employment Tribunal also said that it expected Priddis to undergo equal opportunities training. Priddis was subsequently named ''" Bigot of the Year"'' by the gay equality group Stonewall. Priddis previously attracted attention in the media for ordaining Sarah Jones, a transgender woman, to the priesthood in 2005, a decision that he defended against criticism from the

Evangelical Alliance The Evangelical Alliance (EA) is a UK organisation of evangelical individuals, organisations, and churches, which is itself a member of the World Evangelical Alliance. Founded in 1846, the Evangelical Alliance aims to promote evangelical Chr ...

."Bishop defends transsexual curate"
BBC website.

Personal life

Priddis and his wife Kathy have three children.

Styles

* Anthony Priddis Esq (1948–1972) * The Revd Anthony Priddis (1972–1996) * The Rt Revd Anthony Priddis (1996–present)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Priddis, Anthony 1948 births Bishops of Warwick Bishops of Hereford Alumni of Ripon College Cuddesdon Living people