The retiring Bishop of Durham, the Rt Revd Paul Butler, along with his wife Rosemary, within the Synod gallery
The retiring Bishop of Durham, the Rt Revd Paul Butler, along with his wife Rosemary, within the Synod gallery
THE Archbishop of Canterbury paid tribute to the Revd Stephen Trott for his 29 years of service to the Synod. The chronicle of his work as synodical secretary of the Convocation of Canterbury had been “near being a fourth book of The Lord of the Rings”, a Herculean task that he had carried out in his own “careful, efficient and self-effacing way . . . a remarkable service of enormous persistence and patience.”
The Archbishop of York highlighted the commitment to children’s security and wellbeing of the retiring Bishop of Durham, the Rt Revd Paul Butler. “He brought the experience of a lifetime to the role as champion of youngsters caught in poverty and was on the forefront of laws on asylum and other issues inside Parliament and out.”
Addressing Bishop Butler within the gallery, Archbishop Cottrell said: “The biggest tribute I can offer is that the people you serve have known you and you’ve gotten known them. They have seen Christ in you and you’ve gotten sought to disclose Christ to them, especially the kids. You have helped to make the Church a greater place for kids and families… Your whole ministry has been to assist people feel at home within the Church of Jesus Christ.”
The Bishop was visibly moved by the tribute and the prolonged standing ovation that followed.
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