Bishop of Durham election confirmed

Bishop Paul Butler at his confirmation of election service (Photo: Keith Blundy)

The election of the Right Reverend Paul Butler as the 74th Bishop of Durham was confirmed at York Minster on Monday.

The service was led by the Archbishop of York, the Most Reverend Dr John Sentamu, Archbishop of York, and bestows legal title as Bishop of Durham to Bishop Butler.

Bishop Butler, formerly Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, will not start his public ministry in Durham until he has met the Queen and taken an oath acknowledging her as Sovereign and Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and is enthroned and installed at a service of inauguration in Durham Cathedral on 22 February.

He will later enter the House of Lords as a Lord Spiritual, one of five automatic members alongside the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and the Bishops of London and Winchester.

Bishop Butler with the Archbishop of York, who led the service (Photo: Keith Blundy)
News
CoE sees surge in interest this Christmas amid reports of a 'quiet revival'
CoE sees surge in interest this Christmas amid reports of a 'quiet revival'

The Church of England has said that it is experiencing a surge in interest and that it has registered a record number of services this Christmas.

Nicaragua bans international visitors from bringing in Bibles
Nicaragua bans international visitors from bringing in Bibles

Nicaragua has gone up the league table of anti-Christian persecutors.

The little-known prayers written by Jane Austen
The little-known prayers written by Jane Austen

It is now 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen whose books and their many screen adaptations are beloved around the world. Not many people know that she was a devout Christian who also wrote devotional prayers. This is the story …

The Anglican worldview of Jane Austen’s life and novels
The Anglican worldview of Jane Austen’s life and novels

16 December 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of novelist Jane Austen, who was born in southern England in 1775. Her novels are steeped in biblical analogy and practical theology. This is the story…