The Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, Robert Willis, is to retire his position at midnight on 16 May 2022, the eve of his 75^th birthday.

The Dean of Canterbury, Robert Willis, has announced that he will cease to be Dean at midnight on 16 May 2022, the eve of his 75^th birthday. 

Dean Robert was installed in July 2001, and during the coronavirus pandemic he has become familiar to online audiences worldwide via his daily Morning Prayer videos from the Deanery at Canterbury Cathedral. 

Canterbury Cathedral is known by many as the “Mother Church” of the Anglican Communion and is often visited by pilgrims from all around the world. The Cathedral hosts a conference for new bishops from around the communion. The Compass Rose, a symbol of the Anglican Communion spreading the gospel to all the world, is embedded into the flooring in the nave. 

The standard retirement age for clergy in the Church of England is 70, but Dean Robert was granted permission by the Archbishop of Canterbury to continue in office until 75, the maximum age permitted by Church law. 

Dean Robert has played an active role in helping to plan and prepare for the Lambeth Conference, based in Canterbury later this year, and particularly in the pre-conference retreat which is to take place at the Cathedral. 

Speaking of his time at Canterbury, Dean Robert said: “These 21 years have been exceptionally happy and fulfilling, and I shall miss Canterbury greatly. 

“The Archbishop of Canterbury and I had hoped that there could be some kind of extension for me to cover the Lambeth Conference, which takes place in late July and August this year, but, unfortunately, this option has been ruled legally impossible. 

“In looking forward to the next few months, I’m hoping until Easter that the normal course of cathedral life can resume here and that all farewells can be left until after that time. Until Easter, we will still keep our commitment day by day to the Garden Congregations across the world, which has been a feature of ministry during the pandemic. I am sorry that we will not be here to see the full opening up of cathedral life as the months of Covid restrictions come to an end. 

“There will be time to express heartfelt affection and gratitude to all who have been part of our life here and across the world during these happy years, but that will be for later as we prepare to say goodbye.” 

The Archbishop of Canterbury, who was installed by Dean Robert at Canterbury Cathedral in 2013, said: “Dean Robert has been one of the most exceptional deans of the post-war period – overseeing Canterbury Cathedral’s life of worship, prayer and witness with creativity and imagination. He is deeply loved not just at the Cathedral but across the Diocese of Canterbury, the Church of England, the Anglican Communion and far beyond. 

“Over the course of the pandemic, he has brought the comfort and hope of Jesus Christ to many thousands of people around the world through his daily Morning Prayer videos. Dean Robert has been a faithful, prayerful friend to our whole family and we will miss him greatly. In turn, we will be praying for him and all those who have supported him over many years, as he prepares for retirement and the next stage of his ministry.”