New bishop keen to 'understand' island issues

Rt Rev Hillas will be consecrated in York Minster in October

The Isle of Man's new bishop has said she will take the time to "listen and understand" key issues affecting residents following her appointment.

The Venerable Patricia Hillas, the island's first female bishop, takes over from the Right Reverend Peter Eagles who retired last October.

Ordained in 2002 after a career in youth and social work, she is currently Archdeacon and Canon of Westminster as well as Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons.

Archdeacon Hillas said she was "really excited" to become part of the community having witnessed Manx people's "pride" in the island after visiting family on the island for 20 years.

Sodor and Man is the smallest diocese in the Church of England, overseeing 45 churches and 27 parishes.

The new bishop will be consecrated in York Minster on 10 October before being installed at Cathedral Isle of Man in Peel later in the year.

She said she was "thrilled" to be called to make the island her home and was "keen to get to know people of all ages and faiths, from all parts of the island".

'Listening'

The "hugely heartfelt issue" of proposed new assisted dying laws was a "really noble sense of trying to alleviate suffering", she said.

"My father died from cancer and that’s a challenge, I’m also someone who has life experience as a social worker working with people living with HIV and Aids and people with severe physical disabilities," she said.

She said: "At this stage, it's about understanding what that looks like and listening really hard to what people on the island are thinking and saying."

The appointment also comes amid ongoing debate about the bishop's right to vote in Tynwald.

Reflecting on that, the newly-appointed bishop said democracy was "about what people are prioritising" and so taking the time to learn about the issues affecting the population would be "key" as she stepped into the role.