Stephen Venner (born 19 June 1944) was

Bishop of Dover The Bishop of Dover is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Canterbury, England. The title takes its name after the town of Dover in Kent. The Bishop of Dover holds the additional title of "Bishop in ...

(the bishop with delegated responsibility for the

Diocese of Canterbury The Diocese of Canterbury is a Church of England diocese covering eastern Kent which was founded by St. Augustine of Canterbury in 597. The diocese is centred on Canterbury Cathedral and is the oldest see of the Church of England. The ''Report ...

) from 1999 until 2009. He was also Bishop for the Falkland Islands from 2007 and

Bishop to the Forces The Anglican church in the British Armed Forces falls under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Canterbury; however, for all practical purposes the function is performed by the Bishop to the Forces. His full title is "The Archbishop of Canterbur ...

from 2009 until his retirement from both posts in 2014.

Education and career

Venner studied English at the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

and is a qualified teacher. He later studied

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

St Stephen's House, Oxford St Stephen's House is an Anglican theological college and one of five permanent private halls of the University of Oxford, England. It will cease to be a permanent private hall in 2023. The college has a very small proportion of undergraduate s ...

and

Linacre College, Oxford Linacre College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the UK whose members comprise approximately 50 fellows and 550 postgraduate students. Linacre is a diverse college in terms of both the international composition of its me ...

(since St Stephen's House did not at the time have the status of a

permanent private hall A permanent private hall (PPH) in the University of Oxford is an educational institution within the university. There are five permanent private halls at Oxford, four of which admit undergraduates. They were founded by different Christian denomina ...

), before spending 26 years as a priest across various parishes in the dioceses of Southwark and Salisbury. In 1989, Venner was appointed canon and prebendary at

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England. The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Salisbury and is the seat of the Bishop of Salisbury. The buildi ...

. Venner was consecrated as 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 ...

John Habgood John Stapylton Habgood, Baron Habgood, (23 June 1927 – 6 March 2019) was a British Anglican bishop, academic, and life peer. He was Bishop of Durham from 1973 to 1983, and Archbishop of York from 18 November 1983 to 1995. In 1995, he was ma ...

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers th ...

, on 2 February 1994 at

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Archbis ...

and installed as

Bishop of Middleton The Bishop of Middleton is an episcopal title used by a suffragan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Manchester, in the Province of York, England. The title takes its name after the town of Middleton in Greater Manchester; the See was ...

in the Diocese of Manchester. He served in this position until 1999 when he became the

in the

. As Bishop of Dover, Venner was also, in practice, the acting diocesan bishop for the Diocese of Canterbury, acting on behalf of the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

— this role was recognised in his additional title of "Bishop in Canterbury". While Bishop of Dover, Venner was also appointed the Archbishop of Canterbury's "Episcopal Commissary for the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...

" or " Bishop for the Falkland Islands" on 16 January 2007 — he remains in this separate appointment despite his departure from Canterbury. In 2008, the

(his alma mater) awarded him his first honorary doctorate — a Doctor of Divinity degree. Venner was also the firstBirmingham University — Honorary Graduands...
/ref> Pro-Chancellor of

Canterbury Christ Church University , mottoeng = The truth shall set you free , established = 2005 – gained University status 1962 – teacher training college , type = Public , religious_affiliation = Church of England , city ...

from 2005 (while he was Bishop in Canterbury) and, in 2010, that university bestowed an honorary doctorate (Doctor of the University) upon him. It was announced in early 2009 that Venner would retire in November that year. It was then announced in July 2009 that Venner would take up an appointment as

(who has pastoral oversight over and responsibility for the church's work in the

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...

) while retaining his additional role as Bishop for the Falklands. , Venner is also an

honorary assistant bishop An assistant bishop in the Anglican Communion is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop. Church of England In the established Church of England, assistant bishops are usually retired (diocesan or suffragan) bishops – in which case they ...

in the dioceses of

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

and in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Taliban controversy

In an interviewDaily Telegraph — Taliban 'can be admired'...
/ref> published on 14 December 2009, Venner was quoted as saying some of the methods of combat used by the

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

in Afghanistan (potentially including those to kill British troops) are not honourable or acceptable. He also said "there’s a large number of things that the

say and stand for which none of us in the West could approve, but simply to say therefore that everything they do is bad is not helping the situation. The Taliban can perhaps be admired for their conviction to their faith and their sense of loyalty to each other". After receiving criticism, Venner issued a qualifying statement,Daily Telegraph — Armed Forces Bishop apologises for Taliban comments
/ref>
/ref> in which he repudiated any respect for Taliban tactics.

Styles and titles

*''

The Reverend The Reverend is an style (manner of address), honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and Minister of religion, ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and c ...

'' Stephen Venner (1968–1989) *''The Reverend''

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

Stephen Venner (1989–1994) *''The

Right Reverend The Right Reverend (abbreviated The Rt Revd, The Rt Rev'd, The Rt Rev.) is a style applied to certain religious figures. Overview *In the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church in Great Britain, it applies to bishops, except that ''The M ...

'' Stephen Venner (1994–present)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Venner, Stephen Living people Bishops of Middleton Bishops of Dover, Kent Anglican bishops of the Falkland Islands Bishops to the Forces Alumni of the University of Birmingham People associated with Canterbury Christ Church University Alumni of St Stephen's House, Oxford Alumni of Linacre College, Oxford Deputy Lieutenants of Kent 1944 births 21st-century Church of England bishops 20th-century Church of England bishops