Canon Andrew White awarded Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy

Canon Andrew White hon PhD

Canon Andrew White has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy by the University of Gloucestershire in recognition of his outstanding work in the Middle East.

On Wednesday afternoon I had a chat with Canon Andrew White, he had just been honoured the previous day by the University of Gloucestershire with the award of an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy and over the weekend he had been up in Lincolnshire.

On Tuesday 2 December 2010, the University of Gloucestershire awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy to Canon Andrew White, aka the Vicar of Baghdad, in recognition of his outstanding work in the Middle East, as an Anglican Priest in Baghdad and for his contribution to the work of reconciliation.

Canon White was ordained in 1990 and in 1998 was appointed a canon at Coventry Cathedral in 1998. At this time, Canon White also became the Director of International Ministry and headed up the International Centre for Reconciliation, promoting reconciliation in religious conflicts across the globe. He helped lead negotiations during the Siege of the Church of the Nativity in 2002 and helped draft the First Alexandria Declaration of the Religious Leaders of the Holy Land and the Baghdad Religious Accord. He remained in this post until 2005, when he moved to Baghdad and became the vicar of St George’s Church in Baghdad, the only Anglican church in Iraq.

In 2005 The Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East was established as part of his reconciliation work in Iraq and the Middle East.

The Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy is one of several honours and awards for his peacemaking efforts including the ICCJ Prize for Intellectual Contribution to Jewish-Christian Relations, the International Sternberg Prize, and the Tanenbaum Peace Prize. Canon White has also been received the Cross of Valour from the US Supreme Military of the Order of the Knights of Jerusalem and most recently the Woolf Institute Peace Prize.

Lincolnshire, and no one knows why, is the largest fund-raiser for the work carried out in Iraq and the Middle East. On his first visit to Lincolnshire to say thank you, Cannon Andrew White was at two churches in Lincoln on Sunday, New Life Church in the morning and in the evening at St George’s. The following day he was at Market Rasen where the parish priest was a friend from his days at Cambridge.

Urgent Appeal from Canon Andrew White

Now I really need your prayer. We need a further $37,000 for Baghdad in the next 5 days or else there is no food, medicine or pay for our staff this Christmas. People have been asking how they can help St George’s Baghdad you can do so on our web site www.frrme.org.

Julie Wickenden: If the perseverence and courage of Canon White and his congregation has blessed you, a minimum gift of UK£10 or US$15 from each of his facebook friends will allow him to reach his vital need of US$37,000 this week. Go to www.frrme.org.

Please post this appeal from Canon Andrew White on your facebook wall, re-tweet, pass on to your friends. He and the people of Iraq need our help and support.

Also see

Vicar of Baghdad receives degree in Gloucestershire

Vicar thanks county for huge support in helping to set up Baghdad ‘super-church’

Canon Andrew White at Holy Trinity Church Clapham

Tags: Canon Andrew White, Christianity, Iraq, Lincolnshire