Peter Coffin (bishop)

The Right Reverend Peter Coffin
Bishop of Ottawa
Church	Anglican Church of Canada
Diocese	Anglican Diocese of Ottawa
In office	1999–2007
Predecessor	John Baycroft
Successor	John Chapman
Other posts	Bishop Ordinary to the Canadian Forces (2004–present)
Orders
Ordination	1971
Consecration	1999

Peter Robert Coffin was the eighth Anglican Bishop of Ottawa, from 1999 to 2007. He has also been the Anglican Bishop Ordinary to the Canadian Forces since 2004.

Ministry

Coffin was ordained a priest in 1971. After serving as assistant curate at St. Matthew's Anglican Church, he moved to Malaysia to teach Biblical theology in the Diocese of Kuching. When he returned to Canada, he was appointed to various parishes in the Ottawa area until 1990, when he became the rector of Christ Church Cathedral and the Dean of Ottawa. In 1999 he was ordained a bishop and became the eighth bishop of Ottawa on September 1st, 1999. In 2004 he was appointed as Bishop Ordinary to the Canadian Forces;^[1] he will be succeeded by Nigel Shaw on May 28, 2016.^[2]

Appointment of the Rev. Linda Privitera

In 2006, Coffin allowed the Rev. Linda Privitera, a married lesbian, to work as a priest in Ottawa. This caused some controversy within the diocese of Ottawa due to the ongoing debate in the Anglican Church regarding same-sex marriage.^[3] A group of seven priests wrote an open letter condemning this decision, saying it was a "breach of the General Synod process in place in this country and puts our relationship with the world-wide Anglican Communion in jeopardy."^[4] Coffin afterward commented: "I may be called a liberal and unorthodox. But I firmly believe that people need to be treated with respect and dignity and that loving someone faithfully and in total commitment until death do them part is a blessing, regardless of sexual orientation."^[3]

References

1. "Bishops of Ottawa: The Right Reverend Peter Robert Coffin". Anglican Diocese of Ottawa. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
2. "AMO Episcopal Election". Anglican Church of Canada. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
3. Green, Jennifer (2006-03-20). "Conservative Anglicans livid over lesbian priest". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 2014-07-10.
4. "Diocesan debate about lesbian priest escalates". Anglican Journal. 2006-03-31. Retrieved 2014-07-10.