Peter Robert Coffin was the eighth

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 of Ottawa, from 1999 to 2007. He also served as the Anglican Bishop Ordinary to the

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

from 2004 to 2016.

Education

Coffin holds a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

from the University of King's College, a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

, and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in international affairs and development from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. He also received an

honorary An honorary position is one given as an honor, with no duties attached, and without payment. Other uses include: * Honorary Academy Award, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, United States * Honorary Aryan, a status in Nazi Germany ...

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

from the University of King's College in 1997 and from Trinity College in 2004.

Ministry

Coffin was ordained a priest in 1971. After serving as assistant curate at St. Matthew's Anglican Church in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, he moved to

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

to teach

Biblical theology Because scholars have tended to use the term in different ways, Biblical theology has been notoriously difficult to define. Description Although most speak of biblical theology as a particular method or emphasis within biblical studies, some scho ...

at the

House of the Epiphany The House of the Epiphany is an Anglican educational institution in Kuching, Malaysia, providing theological education to candidates for ordination. It was established in 1952. There were a number of short-lived theological colleges in what ...

, the theological seminary of the Diocese of Kuching in

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the M ...

. When he returned to Canada, he was appointed to various parishes in West Quebec and in the Ottawa area and served as the

Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...

of West

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

and of Carleton until 1990, when he became 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 Christ Church Cathedral and the

Dean of Ottawa Christ Church Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The church is located at 414 Sparks Street in the northwest section of the city's downtown at the western end of Sparks Street on top of a promontory looking down to th ...

. In 1999 he was ordained a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

and became the eighth bishop of Ottawa on September 1, 1999, a role in which he continued until 2007. In 2004 he was appointed as Bishop Ordinary to the

; and chaired the Interfaith Committee on Canadian Military Chaplaincy. He was succeeded as Bishop Ordinary by

Nigel Shaw Nigel Shaw is a Canadian Anglican Bishop. Shaw was educated at the University of Toronto; and ordained in 1985. He was a Chaplain with the Canadian Armed Forces from 1986 until his election as Bishop of the Military Ordinariate of Canada, Anglican ...

on May 28, 2016.

Appointment of the Rev. Linda Privitera

In 2006, Coffin allowed the Rev. Linda Privitera, an American priest in a

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...

, to work as a priest in Ottawa. This caused some controversy within the diocese of Ottawa due to the ongoing debate in the Anglican Church regarding same-sex marriage. A group of seven priests wrote an open letter condemning this decision, saying it was a "breach of the General Synod process in place in this country and puts our relationship with the world-wide

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...

in jeopardy." Coffin afterward commented: "I may be called a

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

and unorthodox. But I firmly believe that people need to be treated with respect and dignity and that loving someone faithfully and in total commitment until death do them part is a blessing, regardless of sexual orientation."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coffin, Peter Trinity College (Canada) alumni University of Toronto alumni Living people Deans of Ottawa Year of birth missing (living people)