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I was honoured to be invited by The Most Reverend Hossam Naoum, Primate of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, to travel to Bahrain to assist with the consecration of a new Bishop of the Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf. Pictured above from Left to Right: Anthony Ball, Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Egypt, The Bishop of Hereford, Archbishop Hossam, myself and Bishop Antony Poggo, secretary general of the Anglican Consultative Council. 

This was my first visit to Bahrain, indeed my first visit to any of the Gulf States. My impression of the capital Manama, was of something like London’s Canary Wharf, but with extreme heat and without old buildings. Like other Gulf States, Bahrain’s economy is heavily dependent on oil and gas, but it is now also the world’s fastest growing financial centre. Strategically located between Asia and Europe, my visit impressed on me the importance of these States to the planet’s future. And I noticed that the same day that I was in Bahrain for the consecration, the King of Bahrain had arrived in Moscow to meet President Putin.  

On the first evening of my visit, I was invited to take part in a panel discussion on the theme of ‘healing after conflict’. I spoke about the remarkable ways in which European nations (in particular France and Germany) had been reconciled with each other after two world wars.

The Kingdom of Bahrain is committed to peaceful co-existence between religions. Whilst Bahrain is 80% Muslim, there are many other faiths present in the country, and Bahrain encourages people of different faiths to live side by side in harmony practising their faith in peace. Our conference took place at the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Co-Existence, which promotes religious tolerance and inclusion. 

The following day, at the invitation of the Anglican Dean, The Very Reverend Richard Fermer, I led a retreat for the clergy of the Diocese. We met in the grand and spacious surroundings of the VIP Lounge of the Isa Cultural Centre, a national cultural centre affiliated with the Royal Court. 

 I took as my theme John 17. We thought together about some of the themes in Jesus’s Great Prayer: Jesus’s revelation of his glory, made known supremely on the cross. Jesus’s longing that his disciples would be protected in a hostile world, that they would be united, and that their joy might be made complete.

The courtyard outside our retreat centre overlooked this spectacular mosque. I was deeply moved that we were welcomed so warmly into one of the most prestigious cultural spaces of this dominantly Islamic kingdom, for the purposes of preparing for a Christian service of episcopal consecration. 

The ordination and consecration service took place in the evening at the Bahrain Anglican Cathedral Church of St. Christopher’s. The civic authorities had decorated the premises with larger than life pictures of the bishop-elect Sean Semple. 

The interior of St. Christopher’s is intimate. It is located in an Anglican compound that also includes lots of ancillary rooms, hall space, the Dean’s House and a bishop’s flat. Whilst the Bishop lives in Cyprus, the Diocese has cathedrals in both Nicosia and Manama (Bahrain), so it’s helpful for the Bishop to have a base in the St. Christopher’s compound. 

During the service, messages of support were read out from Archbishop Justin and from the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church of the USA. And Bishop Anthony Poggo’s presence testified to the importance of this event to the Anglican Communion. 

In the pulpit, and with his back to us, you can just make out H.E. Dr. Shaikh Abdullah Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the King Hamad Global Centre for Peaceful Co-existence. The Shaikh gave an address at the end of the consecration service in which he welcomed the ministry of the new Bishop in the name of the King. He indicated his particular affection for the Church of England and referenced the friendship between the King of Bahrain and King Charles III.     

The new Bishop (shown here with Archbishop Hossam) looked palpably relieved and relaxed once the long and impressive consecration service had concluded. 

Bishop Semple was ordained in the Diocese of Natal in 2011 after a decade of ordained ministry in the Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. He subsequently served in Cyprus and then as an incumbent in the Church of England Diocese of Hereford. He takes responsibility for a Diocese that holds together a number of congregations in Cyprus that are typically older and ex-patriate British in nature, along with much bigger congregations in the Gulf that are thoroughly international, younger and where (as it seemed to me) South Asians often form the largest single grouping. 

Bishop Sean is married to Jenny (left) and they have five children and one grandchild. 

I was delighted to be a Co-consecrator with The Rt. Reverend Richard Jackson, Bishop of Hereford (right)and a longstanding friend. 

At the end of the event, we posed for a team photograph under a huge banner, with a picture of the King and the encouraging message: ‘Faith is our path to peace’. 

I was very much impressed by the King’s commitment to interfaith dialogue and his insistence that ‘Ignorance is the first enemy of peace, so it is our duty to learn, share and live together by the tenets of faith within a spirit of mutual respect and love.’ This is quite a contrast to a culture of religious illiteracy in the West. 

I was privileged to have a major role in this service of consecration through the invitation of Archbishop Hossam and with the encouragement of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The hope is that this event may mark the initiation of closer links between the Diocese in Europe and our south eastern neighbour. At least three of our current serving clergy are imports from the Gulf. Certainly, I will want to pray for Bishop Sean and Jenny as they settle into a new environment, far from home, and as +Sean takes on his complex and demanding responsibilities.