About Bishop Michael
The Right Reverend Michael Scott-Joynt became the 96th Bishop of Winchester in 1995, following eight and a half years from 1987 as Area Bishop for mid and north Staffordshire in the Diocese of Lichfield. As Bishop of Winchester he is a member of the House of Lords and Prelate of the Order of the Garter.
He was enthroned in Winchester Cathedral in 1995. He had served as the Suffragan Bishop of Stafford in the Diocese of Lichfield from 1987.
Bishop Michael as well as being active in the area of the Diocese, he has a national and international role within the Church of England and is often called on to speak on or be involved in consultations on topics including marriage, the Church of England's role as the established church, racial and religious hatred issues, to euthanasia and the recent human embryology law changes.
On the strength of the extensive Partner relationships of the Diocese of Winchester with Anglican Dioceses in Burundi, the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Bishop Michael is an active member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Great Lakes Region and Genocide Prevention. Since visiting the Anglican Province of the Congo in October-November 2002 and more recently in July 2005, he is committed to working with others for an end to the chronic warfare, bloodshed and suffering in the Eastern DRC, and to the large-scale pillage of its natural resources.
He has also spoken extensively on the need for peace in the Middle East and has visited and led pilgrimages to the Holy Land. He wears a cross made in Bethlehem given to him by the Bishop of Jerusalem.
Within the House of Bishops, Bishop Michael has particular responsibility and interest in the fields of church and state and the monarchy, marriage and gender issues. He chaired the Working Party which produced Marriage in Church after Divorce in January 2000.
During a typical week, the majority of Bishop Michael's work with his staff - the suffragan Bishops, Archdeacons, the Dean of Winchester, the Channel Island Deans and the Diocesan Secretary - are about the life in the parishes and the well being of the clergy. Prayer, discussion and consultation form a large part of his time, which includes the work of the Finance and Standing Committees of the Diocesan Synod and the Synod itself.
Parish visits do not just fall on Sundays and can range from renewal and confirmation to celebrating the refurbishment of a church school or an anniversary of a church itself. His week is also spent on clergy welfare issues, new appointments and meetings about potential ordination candidates.
Bishop Michael and his wife, Lou, have three adult children and two grandchildren. The official residence of the Bishop of Winchester is Wolvesey Palace in Winchester.