Wilfred Wood (bishop)
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The Rt Revd Wilfred Wood DipRacism |
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|---|---|
| Bishop of Croydon | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Southwark |
| In office | 1985–2002 |
| Predecessor | Stuart Snell |
| Successor | Nick Baines |
| Other posts |
Area bishop of Croydon (1991–2002) Archdeacon of Southwark (1982–85) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1961, St Michael's, Bridgetown (deacon) 1962, St Paul's, London (priest) |
| Consecration | 1985 |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
15 June 1936 Barbados (Caribbean) |
| Nationality | Barbadian British |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Residence | Christ Church, Barbados |
| Parents | Wilfred & Elsie |
| Spouse | Ina Smith (m. 1966) |
| Children | 3 sons; 2 daughters |
| Profession | Writer |
| Alma mater | Codrington College |
Wilfred Denniston Wood KA (born 15 June 1936) was Bishop of Croydon from 1985 to 2003 (and the first area bishop there from 1991), the first black bishop in the Church of England. He came second in the "100 Great Black Britons" list in 2004.
Born in Barbados to Wilfred Coward and Elsie Elmira Wood, Wood was ordained a deacon on the island, then as a priest in St Paul's Cathedral in 1962, first serving in Shepherd's Bush. He soon came to wider attention in the United Kingdom for speaking out on racial justice. In 1974 he joined the Diocese of Southwark, where he stayed until his retirement. In 1977 he was appointed Rural Dean of East Lewisham and Honorary Canon of Southwark Cathedral. He was Archdeacon of Southwark from 1982 until his consecration as area Bishop of Croydon in 1985, where he oversaw the Croydon Episcopal Area and assisted the Bishop of Southwark.
Wood was a champion for racial justice, launching several initiatives and serving on many committees. In 1968, Wood and colleagues submitted proposals for the replacement of the National Committee for Commonwealth Immigrants (NCCI) with a Community Relations Commission that came to be known as "the Wood Proposals". The proposals called for some members to be directly elected by minority ethnic associations.
In 1992 he co-sponsored with David Sheppard, the then Bishop of Liverpool, a new set of race equality principles for employers, which became known as the "Wood-Sheppard Principles". He was Moderator of the Southwark Diocesan Race Relations Commission from its foundation. He also served as Moderator of the World Council of Churches's Programme to Combat Racism, known for its work on South African apartheid. In his last years as Bishop of Croydon, he protested at the honours given to Enoch Powell upon his death, stating, "Enoch Powell gave a certificate of respectability to white racist views which otherwise decent people were ashamed to acknowledge". and, in 2000 about the then British government's and opposition's attitudes to asylum seekers.
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