| The Most Reverend Frederick James Hiltz |
|
|---|---|
| Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada | |
| Church | Anglican Church of Canada |
| See | Extra-diocesan |
| In Office | 2007 — present |
| Predecessor | Andrew Hutchison |
| Successor | incumbent |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1978 |
| Consecration | 1995 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1954 Dartmouth, Nova Scotia |
| Previous post | Bishop of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island Bishop |
Frederick James "Fred" Hiltz (born 1954) is the current Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.[1]
Hiltz was born in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia where he was also raised. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree at Dalhousie University in 1975 (major in biology) and obtained his Master of Divinity degree at the Atlantic School of Theology in 1978. He received an honorary doctoral Doctor of Divinity degree from the University of King's College, Halifax in 2002.[2] He was ordained a deacon on June 3, 1977, and a priest on June 29, 1978.[3]
Hiltz served in a number of parishes within the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island: Christ Church, Sydney; Melford-Guysborough; Timberlea-Lakeside; The Cathedral Church of All Saints, Halifax; and St. John’s Church, Lunenburg.[3]
Hiltz was elected suffragan (assistant, but without an automatic right of succession) bishop of the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in 1994 and consecrated bishop the following year. He became diocesan bishop in 2002. Since 2006 he has served as Anglican co-chair of the Anglican-Lutheran International Commission.
Hiltz was elected Primate on June 22, 2007, and installed as the 13th primate on June 25.[4] The Guardian newspaper described him as a liberal-leaning bishop.[5] He is considered a moderate theological liberal, taking pro-life stances on abortion, euthanasia and the death penalty.[6] He supports and voted in favour of the blessing of same-sex unions at the 2007 General Synod that elected him.
Hiltz has described his hobbies as the care of animals (two Labrador retrievers and a cat), reading, gardening and woodworking.[2] He is married to his wife of 30 years, Lynne Samways Hiltz.[7] They have one son, Nathan (age 26 as of 2007[update]), who is a jazz guitarist and music teacher in Toronto.[7] In recent years Hiltz has undertaken a televised joint Christmas message with the National Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, carrying into greater fulfillment past declarations of Anglican-Lutheran solidarity.
In October 2009, he was reportedly dismayed by Pope Benedict XVI's invitation to welcome groups of disaffected Anglicans into the Roman Catholic Church.[8]
| Anglican Communion titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Andrew Hutchison |
Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada 2007– |
Succeeded by (incumbent) |