Dean of Gloucester elected as 79th Bishop of Salisbury

The Very Reverend Stephen Lake will be the 79th Bishop of Salisbury.

The Very Reverend Stephen Lake, Dean of Gloucester, has been confirmed as the next Bishop of Salisbury.

The Diocese of Gloucester announced that the Queen approved the nomination, succeeding the Right Reverend Nicholas Holtam who retired last July.

Dean Lake will begin his new role in April.

He is the 79th Bishop of Salisbury.

The first, St Osmund, was appointed in 1078.

'I am delighted that Stephen has accepted the invitation to be the 79th Bishop of Salisbury," said acting Bishop of Salisbury and Bishop of Sherborne, the Rt Rev Karen Gorham.

"Stephen knows the diocese from the past and understands the challenges and opportunities for both our urban and our rural contexts."

The Diocese of Salisbury contains 434 parishes with 573 churches, with a large proportion of parishes in rural areas.

Dean Stephen will also be Bishop for the Channel Islands.

In 2020 it was agreed that the process should begin for the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey to be linked to the Diocese of Salisbury.

Gloucester Cathedral announced that Canon Andrew Braddock will become the Interim Dean until April.