Hundreds of people attended a moving farewell service at the Cathedral for the departing Dean of Liverpool, the Rt Rev Justin Welby.
He succeeds the Rt Rev Tom Wright as the next Bishop of Durham, making him the fourth most senior clergyperson in the Church of England, after the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the Bishop of London.
His Consecration Service will take place at York minster at 11.00am on Friday 28th October. This will be followed by an Enthronement Service at Durham Cathedral at 11.00am Saturday 26th November.
Rt Rev Justin Welby said, “While I am looking forward to my new role, I will also miss Liverpool terribly. The experience of being here will be very valuable in my new role in the Durham diocese, which also has significant economic challenges. If I do a good job in Durham, a lot of that will be because of what Liverpool has brought me.”
He said the highlights of his four years in the city included Capital of Culture year, and abseiling off the west end of the cathedral in support of the Cathedral Foundation.
He also paid tribute to the people of Liverpool, saying, “I’ve learnt a lot from the robustness of people in Liverpool, the way they don’t let problems and challenges get them down. There’s a drive, push, and fizz about the place.
“It’s also been amazingly welcoming. The job may be demanding, but if you’ve got good people around you it is also immensely enjoyable.”
As Dean, his responsibilities included running the cathedral, working alongside the Bishop of Liverpool, and having a large-scale civic role.
Bishop James Jones said, “Justin and Caroline have made a huge contribution to the Diocese in such a short time. Justin's leadership in mission is something that we will always value and pray will be blessed to great effect as he goes to be Bishop of Durham.”
See more pictures from the service here