FRIENDSHIPS have been forged across the world following a meeting of 12 bishops at Parcevall Hall, Skyreholme, near Skipton.

The Anglican retreat was the setting for a meeting of seven bishops from countries with long established links to the three historic dioceses of Bradford, Ripon and Leeds, and Wakefield - now the Leeds Diocese.

There are five Anglican links - with Sudan, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and America, and also two partnerships, with Sweden and Germany.

Some of the links go back up to 40 years and over that time have included a number of exchange visits.

At the invitation of Bishop Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds, seven bishops travelled for a retreat - along with the area's five bishops - to Parcevall Hall.

The five day visit included a celebration at Wakefield Cathedral, a visit to Leeds Minster, and on the last day, a trip down south to meet the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

The Archbishop declared the visit a 'wonderful thing' and suggested it could be used as a template for the wider church.

“I’m really excited by this and think it’s a wonderful thing you’ve done,” he said during a private meeting in The Old Palace, beside Canterbury Cathedral.

The Diocese of Leeds Link Bishops have already agreed to re-unite for more talks before the 2020 Lambeth Conference and Dr Welby asked the Rt Rev Baines if he could prepare a report on the groundbreaking Yorkshire event.

During their stay, the bishops were able to examine key issues and to create a framework for exchanging views and ideas.

Bishop Toby Howarth said everyone had “got their heads down” and discussed tough questions - sometimes with laughter and sometimes with tears.

Bishop George Okoth, of Mara, Tanzania, said the power of the cross had bound everyone together: “We need to put much energy and emphasis on unity and despite the fact that we are different, we should not be judgemental of others," he said. “Loving, living, learning is the message of the Diocese of Leeds and it has been wonderful for me to learn from my brothers here."

Bishop Ezekiel Kondo, of Khartoum, Sudan said: “We have listened to stories from one another of how people are wrestling with their own situations in very different contexts.”

Bishop Mark Bourlakas, of Southwestern Virginia, USA, said: “What has been surprising for me is how different the polity can be.We can sometimes assume that a bishop is a bishop and an Anglican church is an Anglican church – but clearly that’s not so.”

Bishop John Samuel of Faisalabad, Pakistan, told of the struggle against religious intolerance in his country and Dr Welby agreed that Christians there were “in a position of considerable persecution.”

Bishop Dhiloraj Canagasabey, of Columbo, Sri Lanka, told of coping during his country’s violent strife and said: “It is the commitment of discipleship until death.”

He also summed up the visiting bishops’ conclusion on their stay in the Diocese of Leeds: “Christianity is all about relationships and there has been such a strong bonding between us all.”

Before the hour long meeting with Dr Welby and his Anglican communion advisor, Bishop Anthony Poggo, the party from Leeds was warmly greeted by the Dean of Canterbury, Robert Willis.

The Dean showed the group around the Cathedral, taking the guests to the site of Thomas Beckett’s murder and the chair of St Augustine.

After the visit, the Rt Rev Baines said: "I am enormously grateful to the visiting bishops who demonstrated such trust and generosity in engaging together during our shared time.Now we look to build on this for the future."