The Rt Revd Michael Lewis, Bishop of Middleton, has been appointed Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf. He will take up his duties in mid-November and will be based in Cyprus.

The Bishop, who has had responsibility for some of the most ethnically diverse communities in this country: Rochdale, Oldham and Manchester, will be responsible for congregations in northern and southern Cyprus, the Gulf States, including Kuwait and Yemen, and the Anglican chaplaincy in Iraq, based in Baghdad.

Bishop Michael said: ‘Being the Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf is a unique challenge. It will be a fascinating and humbling ministry covering a part of world where the great questions of our day our focused. It will combine caring for the many people who work in the gulf; those who are in vulnerable situations and those who value the presence of the church.

‘The role not only includes travelling to Christian communities, but also talking and getting to know the politics of the region. I greatly look forward to carrying on my interest with other faiths, particularly Islam. I also look forward to working with the Eastern Orthodox Church.’

The Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Revd Nigel McCulloch said: ‘Bishop Michael’s unique gifts have not only enriched the Diocese of Manchester but also qualify him superbly for his new task to which he has been called - of providing spiritual leadership in a very significant diocese which includes Iraq.

‘Bishop Michael will be greatly missed by us all – not least by schools, colleges and universities that have benefited from his wise counsel as Chair of the Board of Education; as well as by the Readers for whom he has been a most valued Warden; and especially the clergy, congregations and communities of the Rochdale and Manchester archdeaconries who have so often been encouraged and inspired by his warm and compassionate concern for them. For all that, and much more, we will give thanks to God.’

Item from: The Diocese of Manchester