Carl Norman Cooper (born 4 August 1960) is a Welsh former Anglican bishop who was the

Bishop of St David's The Bishop of St Davids is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of St Davids. The succession of bishops stretches back to Saint David who in the 6th century established his seat in what is today the city of St Davids in Pembrokeshire, ...

from 2002 to 2008.

Early life

Cooper was born on 4 August 1960 and grew up in

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington t ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

. He first spent time in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

as an

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...

at the

University of Wales, Lampeter University of Wales, Lampeter ( cy, Prifysgol Cymru, Llanbedr Pont Steffan) was a university in Lampeter, Wales. Founded in 1822, and incorporated by royal charter in 1828, it was the oldest degree awarding institution in Wales, with limited ...

, where he took a degree in French and joined

the 16' Club The 16' Club, commonly referred to as The Sixteens, the College Sixteen or simply 16, is a private dining club for male members of St David's College, Trinity Saint David. It is the only remaining undergraduate dining club at the university ...

, then 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 ...

Wycliffe Hall Wycliffe Hall is a Church of England Seminary, theological college and a permanent private hall of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is named after the Bible translator and reformer John Wycliffe, who was Master (college), mast ...

in Oxford. Unusually for a non-native Welsh bishop, Cooper is a fluent

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

-speaker. He received a Master of Philosophy degree for a study in bilingualism in the

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The p ...

Ordained ministry

He served as curate in

Llanelli Llanelli (" St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarth ...

, then as 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 ...

Ciliau Aeron Ciliau Aeron ( en, where the valley of the river Aeron narrows) is a community and small village 4 miles from Aberaeron in Ceredigion, Wales on the left bank of the River Aeron. The community includes the village of Cilcennin. The word ''Ciliau ...

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cer ...

. He also served at Dolgellau and as Archdeacon of Meirionnydd. He was elected and consecrated

in 2002. In his role as bishop, Cooper was invited to Uganda by the "old friend of west Wales", George Katwesigye, there he met MP and University of Wales graduate

David Bahati David Bahati (born 8 June 1973) is a Ugandan accountant and politician. He is the Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives in the Cabinet of Uganda. He was appointed to that position in a cabinet reshuffle on 9 June 2021. He was ...

. At that meeting Cooper was quoted as saying, "Wales' influence often stretches further than we realise." David Bahati later tried to pass an act through the Ugandan Parliament to have the death penalty applied to certain homosexual acts. Bishop George Katwesigye has accused "perpetrators" of homosexuality of "indirectly bringing back colonialism in Uganda". In February 2008 it was announced that Cooper was separating from his wife of 25 years, Joy. There then followed press speculation linking Cooper with his chaplain and communications officer, Mandy Williams-Potter. After consultation with the

Archbishop of Wales The post of Archbishop of Wales was created in 1920 when the Church in Wales was separated from the Church of England and disestablished. The four historic Welsh dioceses had previously formed part of the Province of Canterbury, and so came unde ...

, Cooper took a leave of absence on 12 March 2008; and then resigned his position on 29 April 2008.

Later life

After standing down as a bishop of the Church in Wales, Cooper was in 2008 appointed Chief Executive of the Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations (PAVO),. He left this role in 2022 to become Chair of

Powys Teaching Health Board Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) ( cy, Bwrdd lechyd Addysgu Powys) is the local health board of NHS Wales for Powys in Mid Wales. PTHB is responsible for healthcare in Powys, covering the same area as Powys County Council. It was established ...

. https://pthb.nhs.wales/news/health-board-news/carl-cooper-has-been-appointed-as-chair-of-powys-teaching-health-board/

Personal life

Cooper was married to Joy and they have four children together. They separated in 2008 after 25 years of marriage. In 2008, he stepped down as Bishop of St David's because of allegations that he had been having an affair with his chaplain, Mandy Williams-Potter. They both denied the affair. Williams-Potter had been married to her husband for 15 years and they had had two children together, before splitting in 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Carl 1960 births Living people People from Wigan Alumni of the University of Wales, Lampeter Bishops of St Davids Alumni of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford 21st-century bishops of the Church in Wales