Kelvin Holdsworth

Kelvin Holdsworth (born 21 October 1966) is a British priest of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Since 2006, he has served as Rector and Provost of St Mary's Cathedral, Glasgow.

Early life and education Holdsworth was born on 22 October 1966 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. He was educated at Bearsden Academy in Bearsden, Glasgow, Scotland, and Ossett School in Ossett, Yorkshire, England. He then studied practical theology and Christian ethics at the University of St Andrews, graduating with a Bachelor of Divinity (BD) in 1992.

From 2000 to 2006, Holdsworth was Rector of St Saviour's Church, Bridge of Allan, Stirling, in the Diocese of St Andrews, Dunkeld and Dunblane.

Controversy Quran readings of Ephipany 2017 The BBC reported that during the Epiphany service in January 2017, the Quran was read from the lectern, including "the Islamic teaching that Jesus is not the son of God and should not be worshipped." Holdsworth declined to comment on whether he knew in advance of the reading. David Chillingworth, primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, commented, "The decisions which have led to the situation in St Mary's Cathedral are a matter for the provost and the cathedral community," according also to the BBC. The provost of the cathedral is Holdsworth.

Comments about Prince George

In December 2017, Holdsworth became a figure of international attention in a controversy over comments he made about Prince George. Holdsworth stated of the then four-year-old child that Anglicans should pray that he, "be blessed one day with the love of a fine young gentleman", to force the Anglican Communion to institutionalize same-sex marriage. According to TIME magazine, Holdsworth's comments about the child's sexuality "sparked outrage." Holdsworth was strongly criticised by Gavin Ashenden, former Honorary Chaplain to the Queen,

Holdsworth replied that the controversial blog post in question was two years old, and "was entirely about the church and its policies around LGBT inclusion" and not about the royal family. However, he did offer an apology, stating:

Political career Holdsworth stood for the Bridge of Allan ward of Stirling Council in May 2003.

Holdsworth stood for the Parliament of the United Kingdom in the constituency of Stirling at the 2005 General Election as the Liberal Democrat candidate. He came third behind the Labour and Conservative Party candidates.

Personal life Holdsworth is openly gay.