Tributes paid to Bishop Christopher as he steps down

It was the end of an era. As Bishop Christopher handed over his crozier and processed to the west door of our cathedral, it marked the end of his time as Bishop of Portsmouth.

Photos throughout by Peter Langdown

He gripped the hand of his wife Sally as the whole congregation rose to applaud, thanking him for a decade of faithful service to our diocese and our community. It came at the end of a moving Choral Evensong, which included tributes to his caring, thoughtful ministry and some of the music that has been important to him in more than 40 years of ordained ministry.

It also included the world premiere of a piece by contemporary US composer Nico Muhly, which was specially commissioned and written for the moment when Bishop Christopher handed over his crozier, to be placed on the altar at the west end of our cathedral. Because the then lay chair of Diocesan Synod Lucy Docherty had passed the crozier to him at his installation service in 2010, he chose to pass it to the current lay chair Debbie Sutton, who then laid it onto the cathedral altar.

Bishop Christopher has retired at the same time as his wife the Rev Sally Davenport retired as team rector of Holy Trinity and St Columba Church, Fareham. They will now move to start a new chapter of their lives in Somerset.

Read the full story on the Diocese of Portsmouth website