Colin James - a wise pastoral primate (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Colin James - a wise pastoral primate

6:40am Sunday 27th December 2009

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WARM tributes have been paid to the much-loved former Bishop of Winchester whose funeral was held on Monday.

The service was held in the apt setting of the cathedral, where the Rt Rev Colin James had worked for many years.

The current bishop, the Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, said of his predecessor: “He was widely-loved and respected — a wise, gracious, pastorallyattentive bishop and a fine Christian man.

“Since my own appointment to succeed him, I have greatly appreciated Bishop Colin’s wisdom and insight, and his alert, observant humour and thoughtfulness; and I have deeply respected, and taken encouragement from, his courage and his faith through illness and weakness in the last period of his life.”

The former Dean of Winchester, the Very Rev Trevor Beeson, also spoke fondly. He said: “He was an excellent pastoral bishop, sensitive, wise and caring and very knowledgeable about what was going on in the parishes.

“He worked extremely hard and often got exhausted. He had a bit of a patrician manner, but was very much on the ball.

He gave strong leadership.”

Bishop Colin was the bishop from 1985 to 1995, a period of turmoil in the Church of England over the divisive issue of women priests, gay clergy and changes to the liturgy and the Bible.

He was against ordination of women because he feared it would jeopardise relations with the Roman and Orthodox Churches. But he allowed his junior bishops to ordain them.

Mr Beeson, of Greatbridge Road, Romsey, said: “I don’t think that was an abnegation of leadership. He had to go with his convictions.”

Bishop Colin was ordained in 1952 and for some years worked in religious broadcasting before serving as a vicar in Bournemouth and as bishop, first of Basingstoke, from 1973-77, and then Wakefield.

His retirement was marred with sadness as his wife, Sally, became ill with Alzheimers soon after they moved to Bath in 1995. They returned to Winchester, before she died.

The funeral was attended by around 300 people, fewer than expected, although the Arctic conditions and cancellation of some trains from London are believed to have affected numbers.

The service was conducted by the Bishop of Salisbury, the Rt Rev David Stancliffe, with the eulogy given by Bishop Ronald Gordon.

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