Gregory Cameron is new Bishop of St Asaph

Jan 7 2009 By David Simister

THE race to become one of the region’s most important religious figureheads is finally over this week after the new Bishop of St Asaph was announced.

Canon Gregory Cameron, a close advisor to the Archbishop of Canterbury, was chosen for the position on Monday by an electoral college, which included the five other Welsh diocesan bishops, who met at the city’s cathedral.

"I am enormously privileged and challenged and look forward with great excitement," he said. "I am both stunned and honoured by the choice of the electoral college and hope that by God’s grace I can at least in part live up to people’s expectations."

He will take over from previous bishop Reverend John Davies, who retired last month after ten years of service as bishop.

Canon Cameron, 49, originally born in Monmouthshire, gave a sermon at St Asaph last year where he accused the Anglican church of taking a "NATO-style attitude" towards Christianity in the developing world.

The canon, who was ordained in 1984, has held positions throughout Wales, including in the parishes of Newport and Llanmartin. He also spent three years working with Dr Rowan Williams, the current Archbishop of Canterbury, during the time he served as Archbishop for Wales.

He said he hopes he would be listening to people in the diocese but was also keen to bring his own ideas into the area.

Dr Barry Morgan, the current Archbishop of Wales, praised Canon Cameron: "Canon Cameron is an immensely gifted man with wide experience of the worldwide Anglican communion and of our ministry here in Wales. I look forward to working with him and welcoming him back to his home province."

Canon Cameron, who is currently head of the Anglican Communion, has 25 days left to officially accept the position but if he does will become the city’s 76th bishop, covering an area which covers Denbighshire, Conwy, Flintshire, Wrexham and parts of Powys and Gwynedd.