Carl Norman Cooper (born 4 August 1960) is a Welsh former

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 th ...

bishop who was the Bishop of St David's from 2002 to 2008.

Early life

Cooper was born on 4 August 1960 and grew up in Wigan in Lancashire. He first spent time in Wales as an undergraduate at the University of Wales, Lampeter, where he took a degree in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

and joined

the 16' Club The 16' Club, commonly referred to as The Sixteens, the College Sixteen or simply 16, is a private dining club for male members of St David's College, Trinity Saint David. It is the only remaining undergraduate dining club at the university ...

, then studied theology at Wycliffe Hall in Oxford. Unusually for a non-native Welsh bishop, Cooper is a fluent

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

-speaker. He received a Master of Philosophy degree for a study in bilingualism in the Church in Wales.

Ordained ministry

He served as

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

in Llanelli, then as the

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion. He also served at

Dolgellau Dolgellau () is a town and community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional county town of the historic county of Merionethshire ( cy, Meirionnydd, Sir Feirionnydd) un ...

and as

Archdeacon of Meirionnydd This is a list of the archdeacons of Meirionnydd. The Archdeacon of Meirionydd is the priest in charge of the archdeaconry of Meirionydd, an administrative division of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor. The archdeaconry comprises the five dea ...

. He was elected and consecrated Bishop of St David's in 2002. In his role as bishop, Cooper was invited to Uganda by the "old friend of west Wales", George Katwesigye, there he met MP and University of Wales graduate David Bahati. At that meeting Cooper was quoted as saying, "Wales' influence often stretches further than we realise." David Bahati later tried to pass an act through the Ugandan Parliament to have the death penalty applied to certain homosexual acts. Bishop George Katwesigye has accused "perpetrators" of homosexuality of "indirectly bringing back colonialism in Uganda". In February 2008 it was announced that Cooper was separating from his wife of 25 years, Joy. There then followed press speculation linking Cooper with his

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

and communications officer, Mandy Williams-Potter. After consultation with the Archbishop of Wales, Cooper took a leave of absence on 12 March 2008; and then resigned his position on 29 April 2008.

Later life

After standing down as a bishop of the Church in Wales, Cooper was in 2008 appointed Chief Executive of the Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations (PAVO),. He left this role in 2022 to become Chair of

Powys Teaching Health Board Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) ( cy, Bwrdd lechyd Addysgu Powys) is the local health board of NHS Wales for Powys in Mid Wales. PTHB is responsible for healthcare in Powys, covering the same area as Powys County Council. It was established ...

. https://pthb.nhs.wales/news/health-board-news/carl-cooper-has-been-appointed-as-chair-of-powys-teaching-health-board/

Personal life

Cooper was married to Joy and they have four children together. They separated in 2008 after 25 years of marriage. In 2008, he stepped down as Bishop of St David's because of allegations that he had been having an affair with his chaplain, Mandy Williams-Potter. They both denied the affair. Williams-Potter had been married to her husband for 15 years and they had had two children together, before splitting in 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Carl 1960 births Living people People from Wigan Alumni of the University of Wales, Lampeter Bishops of St Davids Alumni of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford 21st-century bishops of the Church in Wales