Timothy Bavin

Timothy John Bavin (born 17 September 1935) is a British Anglican bishop and monk. He was the bishop of Anglican Diocese of Johannesburg from 1974 to 1985. He was then Bishop of Portsmouth from 1985 to 1995.

Early life and education Bavin was born the son of Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Sydney Durrance Bavin RASC and Marjorie Gwendoline (née Dew) Bavin, on 17 September 1935. He was educated at St George's School, Windsor Castle and Brighton College.

He graduated from Worcester College, Oxford with a degree in Literae Humaniores in 1959 (Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts 1961). a position he was to hold until 1985. He was elected to the See of Johannesburg on 3 September 1974 and consecrated a bishop that year. From 1985 he was Bishop of Portsmouth, during which time he was appointed an honorary fellow of the Royal School of Church Music.

In 1987 he became a member of the Oratory of the Good Shepherd. After resigning his bishopric he was professed as a monk of the Benedictine community at Alton Abbey. As a result, Bavin has curtailed his involvement in the Athenaeum and the Royal Yacht Squadron, although he does occasionally preach at other Christian places of worship. As part of the dissolution of Alton Abbey, Bavin moved from the abbey buildings to an almshouse associated with Chichester Cathedral.

A number of serious safeguarding issues took place within the Anglican Diocese of Portsmouth during his time as bishop. For example, he did not report Father Terry Knight to the police when parents raised their concerns to him in 1985. Father Terry Knight was allowed to carry on in his position and until he was finally convicted for sexually abusing boys in 1996 and again in 2016. Timothy Bavin had also allowed a convicted child sex offender priest called Father Michael Gover to carry on working for the church on his release in 1990. Father Michael Gover was convicted in 1985 at around the same time as parents raising their concerns about Father Terry Knight.

Personal life In 1994, Bavin was named as one of ten gay bishops in the Church of England by OutRage!, an LGBT activist group.

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