Justin Welby has appointed a Bishop to the Forces and Bishop for the Falkland Islands

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby today commissioned and licensed Bishop Nigel Stock as the new Bishop to HM Forces and Bishop for the Falkland Islands.

Bishop Nigel, who is the Bishop at Lambeth, takes up the HM Forces role upon the retirement of the Rt Revd Dr Stephen Venner.

In his role Bishop Nigel will act on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s behalf and carry out episcopal duties within the UK’s Armed Forces. He will have pastoral oversight of Anglican chaplains and the Anglican church within the Forces.

He was commissioned by Archbishop Justin during a Eucharist service attended by guests from the Armed Forces, the three Forces’ chaplaincy departments, and the Falkland Islands Government’s representative in the UK.

During the service Bishop Nigel said: “It comes as a great privilege to begin to try and serve the members of the Armed Forces and the people of the Falkland Islands in a capacity as bishop. It will be my job to affirm, support and care for the military chaplains who are there on the ground, ministering to soldiers and their families and being bearers of the Good News. It will also be my task, as Bishop for the Falklands, to listen to the concerns of those who live there and feed them into the wider church.”