Covid: Newcastle diocese faces difficult decisions, bishop says

Bishop Wroe said things were so tough, he was sometimes "tempted to put my head in the sand and hope it will all go away"

The impact of the pandemic on church attendances means difficult decisions lie ahead for the Diocese of Newcastle, the bishop in charge has said.

The Right Reverend Mark Wroe, who is running the diocese of Newcastle until a successor for the previous bishop is appointed, said Covid-19 had brought "real challenges around finance".

He said the diocese needed to be "open" about how it faced the situation.

However, he said the pandemic had also brought "really amazing opportunities".

Covid-19 has led to a large drop in the number of people going to church and that has had a subsequent impact on the Church of England diocese's finances.

'Wonderful stories'

Bishop Wroe said discussions were under way as to how to adapt to the challenges and the situation may lead to some churches having fewer services or being left without a vicar as those retiring may not be replaced.

"There are lots of difficult decisions coming up and we have been working out over the past two years what our next steps are," he said.

He said he was sometimes "tempted to put my head in the sand and hope it will all go away", but it came down "to us being open and working together to face the reality of the challenges".

"There are real challenges around finance and how we support ministry, but there are also really amazing opportunities," he said.

"I'm hearing all sorts of wonderful stories about people who come to a service online and who then turn up a few weeks or months later and then become part of the church.

"Some people are even coming and being baptised in the church because they've been captured by the message and want to become part of the community."

Bishop Wroe was made Acting Bishop of Newcastle following the retirement of the Right Reverend Christine Hardman in November.

The diocese has said the process of finding Bishop Hardman's successor had begun and an appointment was expected in the autumn.