The Right Rev Lord Harries of Pentregarth (1936 to 2026)

We were very sad to hear of the death of the Right Rev Lord Harries of Pentregarth, who died on 29 April, aged 89. One of our Honorary Fellows, Richard Harries read theology at the College (BA 1961, MA 1965) and went on to a remarkable career in the Church and public life.

He served as Bishop of Oxford for nearly two decades and was made Lord Harries of Pentregarth on his retirement. A prolific author of books on faith, ethics and the arts, he is also known to many Radio 4 listeners through his contributions to Thought for the Day. 

Ordained in 1963, Richard rose to become Bishop of Oxford from 1987 until his retirement in 2006. He sat in the House of Lords as a cross-bencher and continued to contribute actively to public debate on faith, ethics, science and politics. A committed advocate for interfaith understanding, he co-founded the Oxford Abrahamic Group and chaired the Council of Christians and Jews. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and received the British Academy President's Medal in 2012.

He will be deeply missed by all who valued his wisdom, his humanity and his unfailing willingness to engage with the hardest questions. 

Our thoughts are with his family.