THE Bishop of Salisbury, David Stancliffe, will begin a three-month sabbatical after Evensong on Christmas Day.
He will step back from his normal duties, returning in time to celebrateHoly Week and Easter in Salisbury Cathedral in April 2004.
The Bishop celebrated ten years in the job on Sunday, November 30. This will be his first extended break since 1991, when he used a similar period of leave to walk the pilgrim trail to Santiago de Compostella in Spain with his wife Sarah.
This time he plans to travel to Ethiopia where he will be present when the Ethiopian Coptic Church celebrates the Epiphany. He will also begin work on a series of three books.
In the Bishop's absence the Diocese will be led by the Bishop of Ramsbury, Peter Hullah, who will work with the Bishop of Sherborne and the three Archdeacons of the Diocese to ensure that the life of the Church continues without interruption.
The Bishop said: "The sabbatical will, I trust, invigorate and refresh me."
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