Stephen Venner

Stephen VennerDL(born 19 June 1944)wasBishop of Dover(the bishop with delegated responsibility for theDiocese of Canterbury) from 1999 until 2009. He was alsoBishop for the Falkland Islandsfrom 2007 andBishop to the Forcesfrom 2009 until his retirement from both posts in 2014.

The Right Reverend Stephen Venner
Bishop of Dover
Diocese	Canterbury
In office	1999 – November 2009
Predecessor	Richard Llewellin
Successor	Trevor Willmott
Other post(s)	Bishop of Middleton(1994–1999) Bishop for the Falkland Islands(2007–2014) Bishop to the Forces(2009–2014)
Orders
Ordination	1968
Consecration	2 February 1994
Personal details
Born	(1944-06-19)19 June 1944 Chatteris,Cambridgeshire,United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Denomination	Anglican
Spouse	Judy
Profession	Bishop and formerteacher
Alma mater	University of Birmingham

Education and career

Birmingham University

Venner studied English at theUniversity of Birminghamand is a qualified teacher.He later studiedtheologyatSt Stephen's House, OxfordandLinacre College, Oxford(since St Stephen's House did not at the time have the status of apermanent private hall), before spending 26 years as a priest across various parishes in the dioceses of Southwark and Salisbury. In 1989, Venner was appointed canon and prebendary atSalisbury Cathedral.

Venner was consecrated as abishopbyJohn Habgood,Archbishop of York,on 2 February 1994 atYork Minsterand installed asBishop of Middletonin theDiocese of Manchester.He served in this position until 1999 when he became theBishop of Doverin theDiocese of Canterbury.As Bishop of Dover, Venner was also, in practice, the acting diocesan bishop for the Diocese of Canterbury, acting on behalf of theArchbishop of Canterbury— this role was recognised in his additional title of "Bishop in Canterbury".

While Bishop of Dover, Venner was also appointed the Archbishop of Canterbury's "Episcopal Commissary for theFalkland Islands"or"Bishop for the Falkland Islands"on 16 January 2007 — he remains in this separate appointment despite his departure from Canterbury. In 2008, theUniversity of Birmingham(hisalma mater) awarded him his first honorary doctorate — a Doctor of Divinity degree.Venner was also the firstPro-Chancellor ofCanterbury Christ Church Universityfrom 2005(while he was Bishop in Canterbury) and, in 2010, that university bestowed an honorary doctorate (Doctor of the University) upon him.

It was announced in early 2009 that Venner would retire in November that year.It was then announced in July 2009 that Venner would take up an appointment asBishop to the Forces(who has pastoral oversight over and responsibility for the church's work in theBritish Armed Forces) while retaining his additional role as Bishop for the Falklands. As of 2012,Venner is also anhonorary assistant bishopin the dioceses ofRochesterand inEurope.

Taliban controversy

In an interviewpublished on 14 December 2009, Venner was quoted as saying some of the methods of combat used by theTalibanin Afghanistan (potentially including those to kill British troops) are not honourable or acceptable. He also said "there’s a large number of things that theTalibansay and stand for which none of us in the West could approve, but simply to say therefore that everything they do is bad is not helping the situation. The Taliban can perhaps be admired for their conviction to their faith and their sense of loyalty to each other ". After receiving criticism, Venner issued a qualifying statement,in which he repudiated any respect for Taliban tactics.

Styles and titles

• The ReverendStephen Venner (1968–1989)
• The ReverendCanonStephen Venner (1989–1994)
• TheRight ReverendStephen Venner (1994–present)