Archbishop Colin Johnson elected Metropolitan

TORONTO, Oct. 16 /CNW/ - Archbishop Colin Johnson, the chief pastor of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, has been elected Metropolitan (senior bishop) of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario.

Archbishop Johnson, 56, was elected by Provincial Synod during its meeting in Cochrane, Ont., on Oct. 15. He was installed later that evening at Holy Trinity, Cochrane.

Archbishop Johnson will remain the chief pastor of the Diocese of Toronto, with additional duties for the Province. "My primary role as Metropolitan is to support the diocesan or suffragan bishops in their dioceses and to give encouragement for the work in their ministries," he said.

The Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario includes the dioceses of Moosonee, Algoma, Ontario, Ottawa, Toronto, Niagara and Huron. It extends from the Great Lakes in the south to the shores of James Bay in the north, and from Martin Falls (Ogoki Post) in western Ontario to Val D'Or in northern Quebec, and Cornwall, Ont., in the east. Collectively, Anglicans in the Province represent more than half of the Anglican population in the whole of Canada.

For further information: Stuart Mann, director of Communications, [phone], ext. 247, [email protected]