| The Right Reverend Carl Cooper, BA, MPhil |
|
|---|---|
| Bishop of St David's | |
| Province | Wales |
| Diocese | St David's |
| Enthroned | 2002 |
| Reign ended | 2008 |
| Predecessor | Huw Jones |
| Successor | Wyn Evans |
| Other posts | Archdeacon of Meirionnydd |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | 2002 |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Carl Norman Cooper |
| Born | 4 August 1960 |
| Nationality | British |
| Denomination | Church in Wales |
| Spouse | Joy (Separated) |
Carl Cooper (born 1960) was the Bishop of St. David's from 2002 to 2008.
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Cooper was born on 4 August 1960 and grew up in Wigan in Lancashire. He first spent time in Wales as an undergraduate at the University of Wales, Lampeter, where he took a degree in French before studying theology at Wycliffe Hall in Oxford.[1]
Unusually for a non-native Welsh Bishop, Cooper is a fluent Welsh-speaker. He received a Master of Philosophy degree for a study in bilingualism in the Church in Wales.
He served as curate in Llanelli, followed by as the Rector of Ciliau Aeron, Ceredigion.[2] He also served at Dolgellau and as Archdeacon of Meirionnydd.
He was elected and consecrated Bishop of St David's in 2002. In February 2008 it was announced that Cooper was to split from his wife of 25 years, Joy.[3]
There then followed press speculation linking Cooper with his chaplain and communications officer, the Reverend Mandy Williams Potter. After consultation with the Archbishop of Wales, Cooper took a leave of absence on 12 March 2008;[4] and then resigned his position on 29 April 2008.[5][6][7] In early 2011 reports began to emerge of his having married Mandy Williams-Potter and of her being pregnant.
In his role as bishop, Cooper was invited to Uganda by the "old friend of west Wales", George Katwesigye,[8] there he met MP and University of Wales graduate David Bahati. At that meeting Cooper was quoted as saying, "Wales' influence often stretches further than we realise."[9] David Bahati later tried to pass an act through the Ugandan Parliament to have the death penalty applied to certain homosexual acts.[10] Bishop George Katwesigye has accused perpetrators of homosexuality of "indirectly bringing back colonialism in Uganda".[11]