Bishop of Guildford, Andrew Watson, dies from cancer aged 64

The Bishop of Guildford, the Rt Rev Andrew Watson, has died peacefully on the age of 64, just weeks after disclosing that he had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer.

His death on Tuesday was announced to the Diocese of Guildford by the Bishop of Dorking, the Rt Rev Paul Davies, who said Bishop Watson died surrounded by his family.

In a letter to clergy and lay leaders earlier this yr, Bishop Watson had spoken candidly about his diagnosis, explaining that doctors had identified an aggressive tumour in his pancreas after he experienced persistent abdominal pain.

Despite the prognosis, he expressed a peaceful and hopeful faith, telling the diocese he was “cheerfully persisting towards death” and that his belief in “the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting had only grown stronger.”

Bishop Davies described him as an inspiration to many across the diocese.

“Whilst his family mourn the lack of a much-loved husband, father, grandfather, son and brother, we mourn the lack of a much-loved diocesan bishop – in addition to an inspiring fellow disciple, dear brother in Christ, precious friend and special colleague,” he said.

“In the midst of the shock and sadness of the previous couple of months, Bishop Andrew has been an inspiration. For me, personally, he has taught me a lot about how we should always live, and, in these past months, about how we should always die.”

He encouraged members of the diocese to stay centred on “Jesus as our source of comfort, hope, salvation and strength”, he added. 

News of Bishop Watson’s illness had prompted an outpouring of support across the diocese with almost 2,000 clergy and lay people gathering at Guildford Cathedral last week for an all-day prayer vigil to hope for him and his family.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, visited Bishop Watson at his home shortly before his death and later paid tribute to his life and ministry.

“Andrew was a person of deep Christian faith who lived his life within the service of Christ and others,” she said. “In the face of death, he demonstrated a peaceful reassurance of God’s saving grace.”

She added that over greater than 40 years of ministry he had made a major contribution to the lifetime of the Church of England and the broader Anglican Communion.

“He was a mild man and generous with those that held differing theological views. He might be greatly missed, not only by his family and friends, but by the entire Church,” she said. 

Tributes have also come from Guildford Cathedral. The Dean, the Very Rev Bob Cooper, described Bishop Watson as “a shepherd, a servant and a pricey friend.”

“A person of the Gospel, Bishop Andrew led not by command but by example, giving his time and wisdom with an open hand and open heart,” he said.

Geraldine Newbold, diocesan secretary, said Bishop Watson had been deeply loved across the diocese.

“Bishop Andrew was such an exquisite, caring man, who was genuinely interested by people and loved spending time with parishioners,” she said. “His love of God, of his family, and the broader diocesan family shone through in all he did.”

Born in 1961, Bishop Watson was raised in Buckinghamshire and Hampshire. Music played a central role in his formative years; he performed as a bassoonist within the National Youth Orchestra as an adolescent and later composed a choral Mass to mark each his sixtieth birthday and the sixtieth anniversary of Guildford Cathedral in 2021.

He studied law at Cambridge before returning to coach for ordained ministry at Ridley Hall, completing a theology degree and being ordained within the Diocese of Worcester in 1987.

After serving his curacy in Redditch, he moved to the Diocese of London, where he worked in Notting Hill and later as vicar of St Stephen’s, Twickenham, helping establish several church plants in neighbouring parishes.

He was appointed Suffragan Bishop of Aston within the Diocese of Birmingham in 2008, before becoming Bishop of Guildford in 2014.

His episcopal ministry focused strongly on discipleship, church revitalisation and community transformation.

The grandson of missionaries to China, he was also deeply committed to the worldwide Church and particularly concerned concerning the plight of Christians facing persecution world wide.

After joining the House of Lords in 2022, he became an advocate for freedom of faith and belief.

Bishop Watson is survived by his wife, Beverly, their 4 children – Hannah, Sam, Joe and Lydia – in addition to three grandchildren, his mother and three siblings.

Guildford Cathedral has been welcoming visitors wishing to hope, light a candle in remembrance or add their names to the Book of Condolence.

Details of the funeral might be announced at a later date.