Bishop says in letter he has inoperable cancer

The Bishop of Guildford, the Right Reverend Andrew Watson, has revealed he is suffering from inoperable cancer.

In a letter to people across the diocese, Watson said he had been having "a persistent band of pain" in his stomach, which left him not wanting to eat and losing weight.

He said he was told on 12 January he had a "substantial" tumour in his pancreas, which had been "interacting" with his spinal cord and central nervous system.

A scan, he added, found smaller lesions on his liver.

Watson added: "The results of further investigations - a biopsy and MRI scan - came through last Thursday, revealing both the primary tumour and the secondaries to be cancerous and inoperable."

He said he expected to undergo chemotherapy "to make life a little more comfortable".

Watson said: "I am hoping to be able to fulfil my responsibilities as Bishop of Guildford for a while longer (with Easter as my first landmark) whilst recognising too that any decision we make at this point is necessarily provisional.

"We will make alternative arrangements if I need to step back."

The speed of events since the New Year had been a "severe" shock, Watson said, adding there had been "plenty" of tears.

"Those with great faith might wish to pray for my complete healing, and that, of course, would be wonderful," he said.

"But cheerfully persisting towards a good death also bears testimony to our living Lord."

Ending the missive, he said: "Whatever the future holds, I remain deeply grateful to God for the journey of the past 64 years."

The Diocese of Guildford said Watson was "currently awaiting further information regarding medical options to support his comfort and care" and he had advised colleagues he hoped to continue his responsibilities "as long as his health permits".

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