This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/28/hillsborough-panel-chair-retire-bishop-liverpool
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Hillsborough panel chairman to retire as bishop of Liverpool in August | Hillsborough panel chairman to retire as bishop of Liverpool in August |
| (4 months later) | |
| The Rt Rev James Jones, whose chairmanship of the Hillsborough independent panel was instrumental in revealing the truth of the tragedy, has announced he will retire as bishop of Liverpool when he turns 65 in August this year. | The Rt Rev James Jones, whose chairmanship of the Hillsborough independent panel was instrumental in revealing the truth of the tragedy, has announced he will retire as bishop of Liverpool when he turns 65 in August this year. |
| The panel, which trawled 450,000 documents before publishing its long-awaited report last September, established that the main cause of the disaster was a "failure in police control", which was subsequently covered up and blamed on the victims. | The panel, which trawled 450,000 documents before publishing its long-awaited report last September, established that the main cause of the disaster was a "failure in police control", which was subsequently covered up and blamed on the victims. |
| It found that 164 police statements were significantly amended and that the Liverpool fans "neither caused nor contributed to" the deaths of the 96 people in Sheffield on 15 April 1989. | It found that 164 police statements were significantly amended and that the Liverpool fans "neither caused nor contributed to" the deaths of the 96 people in Sheffield on 15 April 1989. |
| The bishop, who took up the bishopric in 1998, announced his retirement in a letter to his diocese on Monday. | The bishop, who took up the bishopric in 1998, announced his retirement in a letter to his diocese on Monday. |
| "It has been a privilege as bishop to serve the wider community, not least in chairing the Hillsborough independent panel," he wrote. "The diocese has recognised the rightness of me doing this which has given me great strength. | "It has been a privilege as bishop to serve the wider community, not least in chairing the Hillsborough independent panel," he wrote. "The diocese has recognised the rightness of me doing this which has given me great strength. |
| "The way the families and survivors have received the panel's report and the way truth is now opening up the path to justice affirms the worth of the panel's work." | "The way the families and survivors have received the panel's report and the way truth is now opening up the path to justice affirms the worth of the panel's work." |
| In an interview with the Guardian last October, Jones said he had been under no illusions as to the scale of the task the panel faced. | In an interview with the Guardian last October, Jones said he had been under no illusions as to the scale of the task the panel faced. |
| "I was aware that MPs, the police, the media, the judiciary, possibly the government of the day, were in the frame," he said. "People might think we in the church are naive; we're not." | "I was aware that MPs, the police, the media, the judiciary, possibly the government of the day, were in the frame," he said. "People might think we in the church are naive; we're not." |
| He said he would continue to act as an adviser to the home secretary on Hillsborough as well as keeping up his writing and broadcasting and involvement in other projects. | He said he would continue to act as an adviser to the home secretary on Hillsborough as well as keeping up his writing and broadcasting and involvement in other projects. |
| The bishop is reported to have been reluctant to take the Liverpool job because he feared it would interfere too much with his family life and parental responsibilities. | The bishop is reported to have been reluctant to take the Liverpool job because he feared it would interfere too much with his family life and parental responsibilities. |
| He accepted the post only after the then prime minister insisted, earning him the nickname "Blair's bishop". | He accepted the post only after the then prime minister insisted, earning him the nickname "Blair's bishop". |
| Jones, who is an evangelical, has been as outspoken in religious matters as he has political ones. Despite opposing the appointment of the openly gay cleric Dr Jeffrey John to be the suffragan bishop of Reading in 2003, he later changed his mind – and angered many conservative Anglicans – by arguing that the Bible may support same-sex relationships and apologising to John and his partner for "adding to their pain and distress". | Jones, who is an evangelical, has been as outspoken in religious matters as he has political ones. Despite opposing the appointment of the openly gay cleric Dr Jeffrey John to be the suffragan bishop of Reading in 2003, he later changed his mind – and angered many conservative Anglicans – by arguing that the Bible may support same-sex relationships and apologising to John and his partner for "adding to their pain and distress". |
| The dean of Liverpool, The Very Rev Dr Pete Wilcox, described the bishop as "an extraordinary servant of the diocese of Liverpool, the city and the region, as well as a significant voice on a national stage, for well over a decade", adding: "He has been a wise pastor, a thoughtful and thought-provoking preacher and teacher, a courageous prophet, a champion of justice and a faithful friend." | The dean of Liverpool, The Very Rev Dr Pete Wilcox, described the bishop as "an extraordinary servant of the diocese of Liverpool, the city and the region, as well as a significant voice on a national stage, for well over a decade", adding: "He has been a wise pastor, a thoughtful and thought-provoking preacher and teacher, a courageous prophet, a champion of justice and a faithful friend." |
| A farewell service will be held for the bishop at Liverpool cathedral on 3 July. | A farewell service will be held for the bishop at Liverpool cathedral on 3 July. |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. | Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |