Desert Island Discs: Archive 2005-2010 - David Hope

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the former Archbishop of York, David Hope. For a decade he was the second most important prelate in the Church of England but, earlier this year, he handed in his notice to return to life as a parish priest.

As a young boy growing up in Wakefield, it was his cousin Muriel who would take him along to the town's cathedral to worship - he was captivated by the ritual and atmosphere of the place and 35 years later he returned as its Bishop. A traditionalist himself, he opposed the ordination of women and believes the church should resist pressure to ordain practising homosexuals, but he fears that both issues will continue to divide Anglicans across the world for the rest of his lifetime. He says he has never been happier than he is as a parish priest - and that throughout his ministry, he has been someone who preferred people to paper.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Vespers by Sergei Rachmaninov
Book: Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
Luxury: A case of selected malt whiskies

Published on Sunday, 11th December 2005.

Available Podcasts from Desert Island Discs: Archive 2005-2010

Subscribe to Desert Island Discs: Archive 2005-2010

We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the Desert Island Discs: Archive 2005-2010 webpage.