The next Bishop of Winchester will be the Right Reverend Philip Mounstephen, currently Bishop of Truro, Downing Street has announced today.

Bishop Philip will serve as the 98th Bishop of the Winchester Diocese, which covers 255 parishes across most of Hampshire and part of Dorset. He will be welcomed at a service of installation in Winchester Cathedral later this year.

The appointment marks a return to the diocese for Bishop Philip who was born in Hampshire and who studied English Literature at the University of Southampton where he came to Christian faith.

Following a short career in teaching, Bishop Philip was ordained in the diocese of Oxford in 1988, where he also served his curacy. From 1992 to 1998, he was the vicar of St James Church, West Streatham in the Diocese of Southwark. He has also held posts as Deputy General Director at the Church Pastoral Aid Society (CPAS), chaplain of St Michael's Church, Paris, ministering in English and French and supporting the church’s Tamil refugee congregation, and CEO of the Church Mission Society (CMS). He has been the diocesan Bishop of Truro since 2018.

See the Diocese of Winchester website for the full announcement and introductory video.