Greg Thompson (bishop)
{{Short description|Australian Anglican bishop}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox Christian leader
| type =
| honorific-prefix = The Right Reverend
| name = Greg Thompson
| honorific-suffix =
| title = Bishop of Newcastle
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| church =
| province = Province of New South Wales
| diocese = Diocese of Newcastle
| see =
| term = 2013 to 2017
| predecessor = Brian Farran
| successor = Peter Stuart
| other_post = Bishop of the Northern Territory (2007–2013)
| ordination = 1986
| ordained_by =
| consecration = 31 May 2007
| consecrated_by =
| birth_name = Gregory Edwin Thompson
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1956}}
| birth_place = Muswellbrook, New South Wales, Australia
| death_date =
| death_place =
| buried =
| resting_place_coordinates =
| nationality = Australian
| religion = Anglicanism
| residence =
| parents =
| spouse =
| children =
| occupation =
| profession =
| education =
| alma_mater =
}}
Gregory Edwin Thompson (born 1956) is a retired Australian Anglican bishop.{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/sundaynights/stories/s1977774.htm|title=Second Hour: Greg Thompson|date=15 July 2007|website=ABC}} From 2014 to 2017 he was the Bishop of Newcastle.{{Cite web | title = Australian bishop quits after working hard to deal with abuse issues | via= Anglican Communion News Service | work = Episcopal Cafe | date = 16 March 2017 | accessdate = 2017-03-16 | url = http://www.episcopalcafe.com/australian-bishop-quits-after-working-hard-to-deal-with-abuse-issues/ | quote = }} He was previously, from 2007 to 2013, the Bishop of the Northern Territory.
Early life and education
Thompson was born in Muswellbrook, New South Wales, Australia.{{cite web|title=Our Bishop|url=https://eastmaitlandanglican.net/our-bishop/|website=eastmaitlandanglican.net|publisher=Saint Peter's Anglican Church, East Maitland|accessdate=20 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201235020/https://eastmaitlandanglican.net/our-bishop/|archive-date=1 February 2017|url-status=dead}} He studied at the University of Newcastle.{{cite news|last=Gregory|first=Helen|title=Anglican bishop keen to build community|url=https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/1842712/anglican-bishop-keen-to-build-community/?cs=12|access-date=14 June 2018|newspaper=The Newcastle Herald|date=15 October 2013}} He trained for ordained ministry at Ridley College, an Evangelical Anglican theological college in Melbourne.
Ordained ministry
Thompson was ordained in 1986.{{cite web|url=http://members.iinet.net.au/~diont/clerical.html|title=Clerical Directory|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008223851/http://members.iinet.net.au/~diont/clerical.html|archive-date=8 October 2009}} From 1988 to 1994, he was Parish Priest of Darwin in the Northern Territory. Then, from 1994 to 1999, he was the New South Wales State Secretary of the Bush Church Aid Society. Having returned to parish ministry, he was Rector of St John's Church, Darlinghurst in Sydney between 1999 and 2004, and then Rector of St John's Church in Canberra.
Thompson was ordained to the episcopate on 31 May 2007 at Christ Church Cathedral, Darwin.{{cite web|url=http://brnathan.wordpress.com/2007/06/01/off-to-darwin/|title=Ordination of Bishop Greg Thompson|date=1 June 2007|publisher=WordPress|website=The Mendicant Mind and Body}}[http://christchurchcathedral.org.au/page/2/ Christchurch Cathedral website] He then became the Bishop of the Northern Territory.{{cite web|url=http://www.aco.org/tour/diocese.cfm?Idind=38|title=Provincial Directory: Northern Territory, The|website=Anglican Communion|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225071909/http://www.aco.org/tour/diocese.cfm?Idind=38|archive-date=25 February 2012}} In September 2012, he was elected as the next Bishop of Newcastle. He took up the appointment on 2 February 2013, becoming the 13th Bishop of Newcastle.{{cite news|url=https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/2061418/new-anglican-bishop-promises-justice-compassion/|title=New Anglican bishop promises justice, compassion|first=Sam|last=Rigney|date=2 February 2014|newspaper=Newcastle Herald}} Thompson concluded his ministry on 31 May 2017. His farewell service was held in Christ Church Cathedral Newcastle on 21 May 2017.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/4676446/bishop-told-good-to-have-you-in-cathedral/|title=Bishop told 'good to have you in cathedral'|last=McCarthy|first=Joanne|date=2017-05-22|work=Newcastle Herald|access-date=2017-06-02|language=en}}
Personal life
In 2015, Thompson reported that he had been sexually abused by Ian Shevill as a young man when he was 19 and interested in the priesthood.{{cite web |url=https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/3448867/anglican-bishop-names-his-abuser/ |title= Anglican bishop Greg Thompson sexually abused by late Bishop Ian Shevill |first=Joanne |last=McCarthy |newspaper=The Newcastle Herald |date=26 October 2015 |access-date=15 January 2017}} Shevill has been identified as a sexual predator by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2016.{{cn|date=September 2020}}
See also
{{Portal|Christianity}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{S-start}}
{{S-rel|ac}}
{{S-bef|before=Philip Freier}}
{{S-ttl|title=Bishop of the Northern Territory|years=2007–2014}}
{{S-aft|after=Greg Anderson}}
{{S-bef|before=Brian Farran}}
{{S-ttl|title=Bishop of Newcastle|years=2014–2017}}
{{S-aft |after=Peter Stuart}}
{{s-end}}
{{Bishops of the Northern Territory}}
{{Bishops of Newcastle (Australia)}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Greg}}
Category:People from Upper Hunter Shire Council
Category:Alumni of Ridley College, Melbourne
Category:Anglican bishops of the Northern Territory
Category:21st-century Anglican bishops in Australia
Category:University of Newcastle (Australia) alumni
{{Australia-anglican-bishop-stub}}