In office 2003-2013 Name Dominic Walker Ordination 1972 Nationality British Role Bishop of Reading Consecration 1997 | Denomination Anglicanism Education King's College London Diocese Diocese of Monmouth Profession Bishop, theologian Predecessor Rowan Williams | |
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Other posts Area Bishop of Reading (1997–2002) Birth name Dominic Edward William Murray Walker Born 28 June 1948 (age 75) ( 1948-06-28 ) Books The Ministry of Deliverance | ||
What would an animal friendly church look like the rt revd dominic walker
Edward William Murray "Dominic" Walker OGS DL (born 28 June 1948) is a retired Anglican bishop. He was the Bishop of Reading, an area bishop, from 1997 to 2002 and Bishop of Monmouth from 2003 to 2013.
Contents
- What would an animal friendly church look like the rt revd dominic walker
- Early life
- Ordained ministry
- Views on animal welfare
- Paranormal and exorcisms
- Retirement
- References
Early life
Walker was the eldest child to a Welsh mother and English father. He was brought up on Dartmoor. He was educated at Plymouth College King's College London (where he trained for the priesthood and gained an Associateship of King's College {AKC}), Heythrop College in London (gaining a postgraduate Master of Arts {MA} in 1997) and the University of Wales (becoming a Master of Laws {LLM}).
Ordained ministry
Walker was ordained priest in 1972. He began his ministry with a curacy at St Faith's Southwark after which he was domestic chaplain to Mervyn Stockwood, Bishop of Southwark; rector of Newington St Mary; Team Rector of St Peter, St Nicholas & the Chapel Royal Brighton, Rural Dean of Brighton and a canon and prebendary of Chichester Cathedral.
Walker is a member of the Oratory of the Good Shepherd. He served as father superior from 1990 to 1996.
Walker was appointed Bishop of Reading, an area bishop in the Diocese of Oxford, in 1997. He then became a diocesan bishop as the Bishop of Monmouth in the Church in Wales in 2003, succeeding Rowan Williams who had become the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England.
Walker's last episcopal seat was at Newport Cathedral. At the end of 2012, it was announced that he intended to retire, which he did on 30 June 2013. In retirement he is an honorary assistant bishop in the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon.
Views on animal welfare
Walker has strong views on animal welfare. He joined the RSPCA as a teenager and is president of the Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals. In 2010 he called for church services to "pray for animal casualties" of warfare and consistently opposes the live animal exportation market. His views were expressed in a speech when he said that:
When a vicar in Brighton, he gave permission for animals being present in the church. Also in Brighton he, alongside Andrew Bowden, also participated in a demonstration against live animal exportation.
As of 2015, Walker is still vice-president of the RSPCA.
Paranormal and exorcisms
Walker is an expert on the paranormal and has published many articles on the topic. He is a trained exorcist and has said that during his 35 years of ordained ministry he has performed "countless acts of deliverance along with six exorcisms".
In an August 2015 article, which concentrated on the death of Morgan Freeman's step-granddaughter, Walker rejected the use of violence when performing an exorcism.
Retirement
Upon retirement, Walker became a "humble monk". He has since settled in Monmouth and continues to deliver conference papers and lectures. He lectured in July 2015 at a conference held at the University of Warwick.