"Presiding Bishop" or "Moderator Bishop" would have been
a better title than "Primus". The Primus isn't Archbishop,
but he's elected by the other six bishops to act as primus
inter pares ["first among equals"] - convener at their
meetings and as chief consecrator for Bishops.
I served as Primus for three years, which
included the last Lambeth Conference.
The Scottish Episcopal Church has its own General
Synod, liturgy, and code of canons, which tend to be less
prescriptive than those in England.
I certainly hope the consecration of women as bishops
will happen. The sooner the better. We passed enabling
legislation many years ago, although no election has yet taken
place. We have had women candidates in two recent elections,
though.
I say this on the basis of coming into contact with lots
of women bishops, all of them excellent. It would be a
great addition to the skill pool of the Church.
When I was made Primus, the Bishops could not
make up their minds. I was chosen "by lots" - no, I am not sure
what that means, either. It was not a happy experience. The college
was divided evenly between two candidates, and for two or three
months we thrashed around waiting to see if there was any change of
opinion. In the end, a mechanism had to be used to break the
deadlock. Living with that uncertainty for a couple of months
wasn't good for the individuals or their dioceses.
The Episcopal Church is in a unique position to speak as
a minority body within the nation of Scotland, and to the
UK. We are part of a Celtic grouping whose experience is
that of being non-Established. The relationship with the Church of
England should be cordial, and with the freedom to challenge each
other when necessary.
I'm really Welsh during the rugby season. My
grandparents were the Welsh connection. I was actually born in the
Black Country of south Staffordshire.
It was never in my wildest dreams that I'd be part of
the Lambeth Conference, with bishops from around the
world. Archbishop Rowan did a most magnificent job in the way he
led the conference and held people together. That's an achievement
that hasn't been sufficiently acknowledged. And it was incredible
to have experts from all areas of secular life bringing us up to
speed on issues like climate change.
I have given up Glasgow & Galloway [his
former diocese] in favour of golf and gardening. I offer priestly
ministry when needed, and play the organ for my local church when
there is no one else to do so. Just recently, I have been given the
chance to become more closely involved in the life of the city of
Glasgow, which is gearing up for the Commonwealth Games in 2014.
And then there's the referendum on the future status of Scotland
within the United Kingdom.
The experience of retirement in the early days was much
more unsettling than I had imagined it would be. The
paradoxical thing is that I was involved in counselling and
personal growth for years, but "the physician" wasn't able to heal
himself. In my head I was prepared for it, but in my gut I was
not.
One day I was in the centre of absolutely
everything, and then the following day found myself an
outsider. I didn't know what was going on, and I felt out of it.
You're invited to meetings - people are very hospitable - but you
are no longer involved. You can make sure you have other things you
find fulfilling, but it's a shock to the system to realise that you
don't have a place in an institution to which you've dedicated
everything for over 40 years.
In secular employment, when you've gone, you've
gone. But, in the Christian ministry, you don't walk away
from everything. You are still a member of the Church. The
difficulty is knowing what you should be involved with.
The Trades House of Glasgow was established by James VI
and I as one of the constituent elements of government,
together with the Town Council and the Merchants House. Today, the
Trades House comprises 14 incorporations, similar to, but different
from, the London livery companies. It gives something like £800,000
a year to charities in the City of Glasgow. This year, I'm
Collector of the Trades House; next year, I become "the Late
Collector"; and then, all being well, should become the Deacon
Convener for a year. The Deacon Convener has the honorific position
of "Third Citizen", and is involved with the Lord Provost in
ceremonial functions. There is a seat on the City Council, but
without a vote.
There are still a lot of unknowns about the independence
referendum. It will be interesting to see how the fine
details will be worked out and presented to the public. There are
powerful arguments for and against. Education is in a mess, and the
gap between rich and poor continues to grow. I think, in general,
it's in Scotland's interest to stay part of the Union, but I'm not
sure it will make a difference either way.
I feel the Churches should be engaging more seriously
with a striving for unity. As the Holy Spirit moves our
society towards more compassionate regard for the marginalised, the
Churches need to be at the forefront of that provision, and more
innovative and outward-looking.
The developments in spiritual care as a dimension of
health-care provision, and, in particular, some of the
pilot projects linking that into general practice, are beginning to
show very encouraging results. There's an improvement in well-being
in those places where access to spiritual life is made available.
This work is across boundaries of faith, and acknowledges the
reality of faith.
Alison and I retired to live in Largs, a town
on the Firth of Clyde, about 30 miles south-west of Glasgow. It's a
thriving community with a lively retirement population. It's one of
the main centres for sailing in the area, and the site of the
battle which marked the end of the Viking occupation of Scotland;
so there's a Viking festival each year. We have two adult sons,
both married and living in Scotland, and one grandson, who arrived
in October 2012; a second grandchild is due in May.
Childhood ambitions. . . Well, survival, since
I did not enjoy school at all until I entered the sixth year at the
local grammar school. I had, from the age of 12, a sense of wanting
to serve as a priest - largely because of the example of the local
vicar of the church where I had joined the choir.
My most important choice was to ask Alison to marry
me. I could not and would not have been able to work in
the various areas of ministry that I have without her support. My
biggest regret was when some of the projects that I considered
helpful in the life of the Church were not taken up, or considered
with quite the same seriousness by colleagues.
I'd like to be remembered as someone who was
fair, and who treated everyone in the same way. I hope
that I have been able to foster the sense of church as
community.
Besides the vicar with whom I came to a sense of
vocation, I have been inspired by one or two teachers at
secondary school, and two of my predecessors as Bishop and Primus:
the late Alastair Haggart, and Ted Luscombe.
I don't consider myself widely read. I enjoy
the novels of John Grisham, and have found Dan Brown to be hugely
entertaining .
I can think of a number of memorable sermons -
or sound-bites therefrom. One from Canon Roland Walls: "Our church
is like a mini, not a juggernaut, and that means we can change
direction with comparative ease"; and Bishop Ted Luscombe preaching
on Genesis: "There is a snake in every garden."
I love the Friary at Alnmouth.
One has to avoid falling into the trap of being like
Marcion and editing the Bible to leave only the nice bits;
but I never fail to thrill at the reading of John's Prologue to the
Gospel of his name; I tend to switch off when it comes to dietary
and other regulations attached to sacrificial worship as it was
once practised.
My favourite sound is our dog; but, musically,
the organ works of J. S. Bach; and Dixieland Jazz, too.
I'm told I have a fearful temper. People
behaving or speaking in a prejudiced way make me angry, and any
kind of hypocrisy.
I'm happiest relaxing at home after any event
at which I have being performing in any way.
I believe that prayer is an attitude of awareness of
God. I pray most that I might have that awareness, and
then for those who are sick, and those who care for them.
I might be in for a frosty reception, but I
would choose to be locked in a church with the martyr-king Charles
I, who has always fascinated me. Would the King be inclined to
share any thoughts with the benefit of hindsight? What would he
make of his beloved Anglican Church today?
The Rt Revd Idris Jones was talking to Terence Handley
MacMath.
