Tributes have been paid to the retired Bishop of Lichfield, Jonathan Gledhill, after his death on Monday at the age of 72.
Gledhill was Bishop of Lichfield from 2003 until his retirement in 2015 when he announced he had Parkinson's disease.
His successor, Dr Michael Ipgrave, said he was "a much loved and fondly remembered Bishop of Lichfield".
"He was a gentle and kind pastor of his priests and people, a wise teacher of the faith, and a humble and committed disciple of Jesus Christ," he said.
"From this diocese, we give thanks for the many ways in which his ministry enriched churches and communities, and we send our condolences to Jane and their family. May he rest in peace and rise in glory."
Gledhill spent his final years in Canterbury with his wife, Jane.
The Rt Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Bishop of Dover in the Diocese of Canterbury, added to the tributes.
"It is with some sadness that I have received the news of the passing of Bishop Jonathan Gledhill and my prayers are with his family," she said.
"Although I left the Diocese of Lichfield five years before he arrived there, I know that he was always spoken of with much love and as being a great successor to Bishop Keith [Sutton].
"Bishop Jonathan will be remembered as a kind and gentle ambassador of the Gospel, a gracious and godly man who loved the people he was called to serve, both here in this diocese and further afield. May he rest in peace and rise in glory."
Gledhill held a variety of posts in Canterbury, starting out as vicar of St Mary Bredin from 1983 until 1996, and tutoring at the Canterbury School of Ministry.
From 1988 to 1994, he was the Rural Dean at Canterbury and became an honorary Canon of Canterbury Cathedral in 1992.
From 1996 until 2003, he was Bishop of Southampton.
