John Richard Packer is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 Anglican bishop. He is the current Bishop of Ripon and Leeds

Bishop of Ripon and Leeds

The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ripon and Leeds in the Province of York.Though one ancient Bishop of Ripon is known, the modern diocese dates from 1836...

Born in Blackburn, Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

, firstly educated in Manchester Grammar School

Manchester Grammar School

The Manchester Grammar School is the largest independent day school for boys in the UK . It is based in Manchester, England...

, Packer graduated from Keble College, Oxford

Keble College, Oxford

Keble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall...

 with a Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 in modern history in 1967 and from Ripon Hall, Oxford with a Bachelor and a Master of Arts

Master of Arts (Oxbridge)

In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts of these universities are admitted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university .There is no examination or study required for the degree...

 in theology

Theology

Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...

 in 1975.

Packer became a deacon in 1970 and was Curate of St Helier, in Southwark

Southwark

Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...

, until 1973. Ordained as priest in 1971, he worked in Abingdon

Abingdon, Oxfordshire

Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...

 in Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

 (and then Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....

) from 1973 to 1977. Between 1973 and 1975, he was Tutor at Ripon Hall, and between 1975 and 1977 at Ripon College Cuddesdon

Ripon College Cuddesdon

Ripon College Cuddesdon is a Church of England theological college in Cuddesdon, a village outside Oxford, England.-History:Ripon College Cuddesdon was formed from an amalgamation in 1975 of Cuddesdon College and Ripon Hall...

. In the following, Packer was Vicar of Wath-upon-Dearne

Wath-upon-Dearne

Wath-upon-Dearne is a small town on the south side of the Dearne Valley in the historic county of the West Riding of Yorkshire and the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, lying 5 miles north of Rotherham, almost midway between Barnsley and Doncaster. It has a population...

 with Adwick-upon-Dearne

Adwick upon Dearne

Adwick upon Dearne is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It is located on the River Dearne. It has a population of 351....

 until 1986, and from 1986 to 1991 team rector at Sheffield Manor

Sheffield Manor

Sheffield Manor, also known as the Manor Lodge or Manor Castle, is a lodge built about 1516 in what then was a large deer park east of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK, to provide a country retreat and further accommodate George Talbot, the 4th Earl of Shrewsbury, and his large family...

. He was twice Rural Dean

Rural Dean

In the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church, a Rural Dean presides over a Rural Deanery .-Origins and usage:...

, firstly of Wath from 1983 to 1986, and secondly of Attercliffe

Attercliffe

Attercliffe is an industrial suburb of northeast Sheffield, England on the south bank of the River Don.-History:The name Attercliffe can be traced back as far as an entry in the Domesday book -Ateclive- meaning at the cliffe, a small escarpment that lay alongside the River Don...

 in 1990 and 1991. Until 1996, he was Archdeacon of West Cumberland

Archdeacon of West Cumberland

The Archdeacon of West Cumberland is responsible for the archdeaconry of West Cumberland, one of three administrative divisions of the Church of England Diocese of Carlisle. Dr Richard Pratt has been the archdeacon since 20 January 2009....

, having been also priest-in-charge in Bridekirk

Bridekirk

Bridekirk is a village near Cockermouth in West Cumbria. It contains no shops but is does contain a small church.-Church: St. Bridgets:Bridekirk is named after its cruciform church, reconstructed in the late 1860s. Surviving are the remains of a ruined chancel with 16th-century east and south...

 in 1995 and 1996. Packer was suffragan Bishop of Warrington

Warrington

Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...

 until 2000, when he was appointed Bishop of Ripon and Leeds. In 2006, he was called to the House of Lords

House of Lords

The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....

 as a Lord Spiritual

Lords Spiritual

The Lords Spiritual of the United Kingdom, also called Spiritual Peers, are the 26 bishops of the established Church of England who serve in the House of Lords along with the Lords Temporal. The Church of Scotland, which is Presbyterian, is not represented by spiritual peers...

.

Packer used his maiden speech in the House of Lords on 14 December 2006 to criticise the government's policy on asylum seekers, claiming that under the current policy refugees are being "made destitute, terrorised and imprisoned". His interest in the asylum issue materialised again in February 2007 when he appealed to the Home Office

Home Office

The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...

 to halt the deportation of a woman, Aseng Nasoba, and her six children back to the Democratic Republic of Congo, saying that he feared for the family's safety if they were returned to their home country.

Since 1971, he has been married to Barbara Priscilla Jack. They have one daughter and two sons.

Styles

• John Packer Esq (1946–1970)
• The Revd John Packer (1970–1991)
• The Ven John Packer (1991–1996)
• The Rt Revd John Packer (1996—present)