Pope Francis has appointed a prominent Welsh priest as the new Bishop for East Anglia.
Canon Peter Collins, a former vice rector of the Royal English College in Valladolid, Spain, will succeed the Rt Rev. Alan Hopes, who has resigned after reaching his 75th birthday.
The bishop-elect will be consecrated as the fifth Bishop of East Anglia at the Cathedral Church of St John the Baptist, Norwich, on December 14.
The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Hopes as the Apostolic Administrator until the ordination and installation of Bishop-elect Collins takes place.
The appointment was welcomed by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster and the president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.
Cardinal Nichols said: “The new bishop brings with him a wealth of experience both in Cardiff and in Valladolid.
“I am sure he will be warmly welcomed not only in his new diocese, but also in the Province of Westminster and in our Bishops’ Conference. I look forward to working with him.
“At this same point, I wish to thank Bishop Alan Hopes for his tireless and dedicated leadership of his diocese.”
Bishop-elect Collins, 64, a priest of the Archdiocese of Cardiff, said he was looking forward to the future with “sincere humility, deep trust and great hope”.
He said: “I am so grateful to Bishop Alan for the warmth of his welcome and in communion with the whole diocese I thank him for the generosity of his apostolic service over the past nine years.
“I will undoubtedly be drawing upon the wealth of his wisdom and experience in the days ahead. As I leave the mountains and valleys of the West for the expansive plains of the East, I realise that my horizons will change and that I have much to learn.
“Trusting in God’s grace and mercy and obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, let us discern together the pathway that awaits us and recognise that the Gospel is forever new and that the Church remains forever young.”
He thanked Archbishop Mark O’Toole of Cardiff and Emeritus Archbishop George Stack for their support and asked for the “prayerful support” of the faithful of his home diocese as he prepares for ordination and episcopal ministry.
Archbishop O’Toole said: “In Bishop-elect Peter, the Diocese of East Anglia receives a good and holy pastor. We are sorry to see him leave Cardiff, but he goes with our prayers, love and support.
“I am sure that he will be warmly welcomed, all will quickly take him to their hearts as they come to appreciate his many generous qualities and gifts. May the Lord richly bless him, and through him, all in the diocese, in this his new mission.”
Bishop Hopes said the appointed brought great joy to him because the bishop-elect is recognised as a man “with great personal, pastoral and theological gifts, and with many years of dedicated service to the Church in the Archdiocese of Cardiff”.
Peter Gwilym Collins was born in Tredegar, South Wales, and briefly worked as a teacher before he was accepted for seminary formation in 1978.
Following six years at the Royal English College, Valladolid, Spain, he was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Cardiff on the 14 July 1984. His philosophical and theological studies were undertaken at the Augustinian Faculty in Valladolid, at the Pontifical University of Comillas in Madrid and at the Pontifical University of Salamanca.
He served as an Assistant Priest in the Metropolitan Cathedral of St David, Cardiff, from 1984-1986 and in Bridgend from 1986-1988.
He returned to Spain for post-graduate study before taking up his appointment as Vice Rector at the Royal English College, serving there from 1989-94.
Upon his return to the Archdiocese, he served in a number of parishes and also spent 12 years as Chair of the Education Commission, 10 years as Director of the Diaconate, and 28 years in safeguarding roles.