As part of the process of taking office, Bishop John will next week pay homage to Her Majesty The Queen.  The Act of paying homage is an ancient rite that dates back to the Reformation where a new Diocesan Bishop is presented to Her Majesty The Queen. The Bishop makes an oath, acknowledging The Queen to be Supreme Governor of the Church of England. A moment after homage was paid, the ‘Temporalities’, the Financial Income of the See (Diocese) was then bestowed upon the Bishop; in practice these days Bishops like other clergy are paid stipends, rather than receiving income from manors or other property held within the Diocese as was once the case.

The Ceremony takes place in the Throne Room of Buckingham Palace, reflecting the importance of the occasion. Bishop John is met in an ante-chamber by the Clerk of the Closet (The Bishop of Guildford) and by the Lord Chancellor (The Rt Hon Jack Straw MP), who administers the oath of allegiance. Bishop John is then presented to The Queen by the Master of the Household and kneels before The Queen; he places his hands together, then she places her hands outside his, while he makes the oath.

After the formal ceremony there follows a private conversation between The Queen and her new Bishop, in the presence of the Clerk of the Closet and the Lord Chancellor. The Queen may wish to discuss current issues relating to the Diocese and the County of Worcestershire and the parts of the Black Country that fall within the jurisdiction of the Diocese, and how the new Bishop sees his role.

Bishop John is looking forward to pledging his allegiance to The Queen. He says,

‘I am delighted to be able to do so: the Queen has been a powerful and inspirational example of Christian service to me since I was a child’. 

Once homage has been paid, Bishop John will have completed the legal requirements necessary that then enable him to be Enthroned.  The enthronement service will take place on Saturday 1 March 2008 in Worcester Cathedral, with over 1,500 guests.

ENDS      

The Diocese of Worcester is one of 44 dioceses in the Church of England. It covers an area of 671 square miles and includes parishes in the County of Worcestershire, the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, and a few parishes in northern Gloucestershire, south east Wolverhampton and Sandwell.