The Bishop of Jamaica has been elected the 13th primate of the Church of the Province of the West Indies. Delegates attending the 40th meeting of the provincial synod on 27 May 2019 held at the Cascadia Hotel in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, elected the Rt. Rev. Howard Gregory to succeed the Most Rev. & Hon. John Holder, who retired last year.
Two bishops were nominated by the House of Bishops, Bishop Gregory (68) and the Bishop of Belize, the Rt. Rev. Philip Wright (52). Candidates for election as archbishop are chosen from among the eight diocesan bishops of the West Indies: Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, the North East Caribbean and Aruba, Trinidad & Tobago and the Windward Islands. At 4:00 pm the names of the nominees were presented to the synod, which divided according to order of ministry for discussion.
The Elective Assembly, comprising the Houses of Bishops, Clergy and Laity delegates to synod, the Chancellor, Secretary, Registrar, the Principal of Codrington College and the Anglican Warden of The United Theological College of The West Indies elected Bishop Gregory by a simple majority by secret ballot.
