Roy Thomas Davies (31 January 1934 – 7 August 2013) was a Welsh Anglican clergyman, who served as Bishop of Llandaff from 1985 to 1999.

Life

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Davies was educated at St David's College, Lampeter, Wales, obtaining a BA degree in 1955, and then at Jesus College, Oxford, where he obtained a BLitt in 1959.[1][2] He trained for ordination at St Stephen's House, Oxford. He was ordained deacon in 1959, and ordained priest in 1960, serving as assistant curate of Llanelli, Saint Paul from 1959 to 1964.[2] He was then vicar of Llanafan y Trawsgoed from 1964 to 1967 before working as chaplain to Anglican students at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth from 1967 to 1973. After being secretary of the Provincial Council for Mission and Unity of the Church in Wales from 1973 to 1979, he became vicar of St David's, Carmarthen from 1979 to 1983. He was appointed Archdeacon of Carmarthen in 1982, and vicar of Llanegwad in 1983. He was clerical secretary of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales from 1983 until his appointment as Bishop of Llandaff in 1985. He retired in 1999.[1][3]

Personal views

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On the divisive issue of the ordination of women priests Davies agreed to a moratorium which he maintained throughout his episcopate. Privately he expressed himself opposed to women's ordination in the earlier stages of the debate, but later changed his mind and became a supporter of the ordination of women as deacons and as priests.[4]

Bishop Davies supported the use of both English and Welsh liturgy in the Church, and was himself fluent in both languages. He had studied Welsh as the subject of his undergraduate degree at Lampeter.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Davies, Rt Rev. Roy Thomas". Who's Who 2008 (online edition, subscription access). Oxford University Press. December 2007. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
  2. ^ a b "Davies, The Rt Revd Roy Thomas". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online edition, subscription access). Church House Publishing. October 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2008.
  3. ^ "Deaths". Church Times. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  4. ^ "Former Bishop of Llandaff dies". The Church in Wales. 7 August 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  5. ^ "Tributes to former Bishop of Llandaff, Roy Thomas Davies". BBC News. 7 August 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
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Church in Wales titles
Preceded by Bishop of Llandaff
1985–1999
Succeeded by