New Bishop of Rochester to be installed at weekend

The Rt Rev James Henry Langstaff is to be installed as the new Bishop of Rochester this Saturday.

He will begin the installation service at 11:30am by knocking on the doors of Rochester Cathedral to be let in.

Rev Langstaff will become the 107th Bishop of Rochester when he pledges his allegiance to the Queen and obedience to the Archbishop of Canterbury during the service.

Accompanying him at the service will be the Bishop of Norwich and the Archdeacon of Lynn.

Bishop Langstaff succeeds the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, who stepped down last year in order to dedicate more of his time to raising awareness of persecution around the world and particularly his native Pakistan.

Prior to becoming the Bishop of Rochester, Bishop Langstaff was the Suffragan Bishop of Lynn in the Diocese of Norwich from 2004.

He has previously served in the Diocese of Birmingham in the parishes of St Matthew’s, Nechells and Holy Trinity, Sutton Coldfield, and as a chaplain to the Bishop of Birmingham.

He trained for ordained ministry at St John’s College, Nottingham, and his additional role as the Chair of Christian charity Housing Justice reflects his particular interest in urban regeneration initiatives and social and affordable housing.