Pete Broadbent

Peter Alan "Pete" Broadbent (born 31 July 1952) is the Anglican Bishop of Willesden, Greater London, England.^[1] The Bishop of Willesden is an area bishop within the Diocese of London. He was also the Acting area Bishop of Stepney.^[2][3]

Biography

Broadbent was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, Middlesex. He was 15 when he became a committed Christian through the Crusaders youth organisation. He studied English at Jesus College, Cambridge and then studied theology at St John's College, Nottingham before being ordained.

Broadbent's first curacy was at St Nicholas' Church, Durham when George Carey, who later became the Archbishop of Canterbury, was its vicar.^[4] Broadbent moved to the Diocese of London in 1980 to be curate of Emmanuel Church, Holloway and the Bishop of Stepney's Chaplain for Mission.

In 1983 he was appointed chaplain to the Polytechnic of North London, also serving as curate of St Mary's Islington. In 1989 he moved to the Willesden area, becoming Vicar of Trinity St Michael, Harrow and also became the Area Dean of Harrow in 1994 and the Archdeacon of Northolt in 1995.

Broadbent has served on the General Synod for 15 years and was a member of its Standing Committee. From 1999 to 2000 he chaired the Business Committee of Synod and played a role in the foundation of the Archbishops' Council. He is active in Spring Harvest, Europe's largest annual Christian conference.

Broadbent was one of three serving bishops in the Church of England to refuse to attend the 2008 Lambeth Conference,^[5] a gathering of all Anglican bishops convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury every 10 years.

Broadbent chaired the Diocesan Board for Schools for London from 1996–2006 and was from 1999–2003 on the governing body of the City Parochial Foundation. He is a member of the Labour Party and has been a councillor for the London Borough of Islington between 1982 and 1990,^[6] being the chair of their Development and Planning Committee.. He is opposed to equal marriage for lesbians and gays and appeared on BBC TV's Newsnight on 15 March 2012 to speak out publicly against it.^[7]

Between the episcopacies of Bishops of Stepney Stephen Oliver and Adrian Newman, Broadbent temporarily and additionally had episcopal oversight over that area from 7 July 2010 until 22 July 2011.^[2]

His wife is Sarah, with whom he has a grown-up son. He supports Tottenham Hotspur FC.

Republican controversy

On the announcement of the engagement of Prince William to Catherine Middleton, Broadbent declared on Facebook that he is a republican, said the couple were "shallow celebrities" that would be "set up to fail by the gutter press", and predicted that their marriage would last less than seven years. He also called the Royal Family "philanderers" and said that the basis of the monarchy is "corrupt and sexist", while disparagingly referring to Prince William's parents, The Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, as "Big Ears" and the "Porcelain Doll".^[8] His views were reported in various Sunday newspapers and were widely condemned. Conservative MP Nicholas Soames, a close friend of the Prince of Wales, described Broadbent's comments as "extremely rude" and "not what one expects from a bishop".^[8]

Broadbent subsequently issued an apology for his remarks^[9] and agreed to "withdraw from public ministry until further notice" on 23 November 2010.^[10] Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London (and a very close friend of the Prince of Wales), said that he was "appalled" by Broadbent's comments and expressed his "dismay on behalf of the Church".^[11] It was announced on 10 January 2011 that Broadbent was to return to duty that day, both as Bishop of Willesden and acting Bishop of Stepney.^[3] He remained as acting Bishop of Stepney until 22 July 2011 (when the new bishop, Adrian Newman assumed the position).^[12]

Styles

• Pete Broadbent Esq (1952–1977)
• The Revd Pete Broadbent (1977–1995)
• The Ven Pete Broadbent (1995–2001)
• The Rt Revd Pete Broadbent (2001—present)

References