Anthony Priddis

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The Right Reverend Anthony Martin Priddis (born 1948) is the current Bishop of Hereford. He has three children. He is best known for having vetoed the appointment of a gay youth officer, an action which was found to be unlawful by an industrial tribunal and found him being named "Bigot of the Year" in the 2007 Stonewall awards.[1]

Contents

[edit] Career

Priddis was ordained in 1972, following which he worked as a deacon at New Addington, Surrey. In 1975 he moved to Oxford and held a number of posts within Oxfordshire. He became Bishop of Warwick in 1996. He was appointed to the role of Bishop of Hereford in March 2004; this appointment was the first time a Bishop had been appointed by the Church of England following external advertising. [2]

In April 2007, he was in the news as having vetoed the appointment of a gay youth officer who brought Employment Tribunal proceedings against him claiming unlawful sexual orientation discrimination.[3] The youth officer was not in a sexual relationship and had undertaken not to enter into a sexual relationship whilst in post without discussing it with the Bishop first. The proceedings were successful and the Bishop was found to have acted unlawfully by discriminating against the youth officer because of his sexuality.[4] [5][6] The Bishop was chosen as "Bigot of the Year" by Stonewall later that year. [7] [8] The diocese failed to agree a settlement and was, therefore, ordered by the Employment Tribunal to pay the youth worker over £47,000 in compensation in February 2008.[9] The Employment Tribunal also said that it expected the bishop to undergo equal opportunities training.[10]

[edit] Styles

  • Mr Anthony Priddis (1948-1972)
  • The Revd. Anthony Priddis (1972-1996)
  • The Rt. Revd. Anthony Priddis (1996-)

[edit] Religious titles

Church of England titles
Preceded by
Clive Handford
Bishop of Warwick
1996 – 2004
Succeeded by
John Stroyan
Preceded by
John Keith Oliver
Bishop of Hereford
2004 –
Succeeded by
Current Incumbent

[edit] References

  1. ^ Guardian wins Stonewall media award The Guardian, 3 November 2007
  2. ^ BBC profile of Anthony Priddis
  3. ^ BBC News (2007-04-01) "Gay man takes bishop to tribunal". Retrieved on 2007-04-09
  4. ^ Hereford case: judgement published Thinking Anglicans website (accessed 18 July 2007)
  5. ^ Bishop loses gay employment case BBC News website (accessed 18 July 2007)
  6. ^ Bishop urged to resign after diocese loses gay bias case The Guardian 19 July 2007
  7. ^ Guardian report of Stonewall awards night The Guardian 2 November 2007
  8. ^ Church Times report of Bishop's comment on Stonewall award 21 December 2007
  9. ^ [http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/archives/002903.html Thinking Anglicans digest of news reports 8 February 2008
  10. ^ [http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/archives/002903.html Thinking Anglicans digest of news reports 8 February 2008