Clibborn, Stanley Eric Francis Booth., 1924-1996

Stanley Eric Francis Booth-Clibborn, Church Missionary Society missionary in Kenya and Bishop of Manchester, was born on 20 October 1924 into the family that founded the Salvation Army. Throughout his life he sought to combine his belief in Christianity with the promotion of social justice and the support of the poor and oppressed. He spent five years in the army, including two in India, then went to Oriel College, Oxford graduating BA (1951) and MA (1956). In 1950 he had attended Westcott House in Cambridge and in 1952 he was ordained a deacon and a year later a priest. His first posts as a curate were in Sheffield (1952-56) but he was then accepted as a missionary to Kenya.

Booth-Clibborn arrived in Africa in 1956 where he was to have varied ecumenical responsibilities included editing Target, an influential church newspaper. He was especially concerned to promote church unity and the development of the African church leadership during the political upheaval around the time of the Mau Mau rebellion. On returning to England in 1967 he became a minister in Lincoln but was also involved with the British Council of Churches and Christian Aid, his wife Anne (née Forrester) was also Vice-Chair of Christian Aid for a time. He then moved to Cambridge in 1970 spending 9 years at St Mary the Great. From 1979 he was Bishop of Manchester and regarded with great affection and respect even by those who disagreed with his views, (he was, for example, a strong supporter of women's ordination.) He retired in 1992 and went to live in Edinburgh. His interest in Africa had continued and the Booth-Clibborns were invited by the National Council of Churches in Kenya (NCCK), in co-operation with Christian Aid, to monitor the 1992 Kenyan elections. He died on 6 March 1996.