The Right Rev. Dr. Michael Nazir-Ali, the 106th Bishop of Rochester, will deliver the 18th annual Wayne H. Christy Memorial Lecture Sunday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. in Wallace Memorial Chapel.

Westminster College will present Nazir-Ali with the honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Cause (L.H.D.).

  Nazir-Ali, who was born and raised in Pakistan and currently holds citizenship in his native country and the United Kingdom, will speak on "The Role of Religion in the Current International Situation."  He was the youngest Anglican bishop in the world, and the first Asian religious leader to sit in the House of Lords. 

 He is the author of a number of books on Christian mission and on inter-faith issues, particularly on Islam.  He was the chair of the group which wrote The Search for Faith published in 1996, which examined some of the barriers to people believing in Christ today.  He is a regular contributor to national, international and local newspapers, the Church Press, radio and television.

 Nazir-Ali's first ecclesiastical appointment was as an assistant at the Christ Church in Cambridge at the age of 21.  Other posts include Provost of Lahore Cathedral and Bishop of Raiwind, both in Pakistan.  He was appointed a member of the Archbishop of Canterbury's staff in 1986, and assisted with the planning preparation of the 1988 Lambeth Conference, where he prepared the Report of Pastoral Letters.  Nazir-Ali was appointed Bishop of Rochester in 1994, where he heads 264 Anglican churches with more than a million members. 
 
The Wayne H. Christy Lecture Series annually honors Dr. Wayne H. Christy, who was a long-time faculty member and chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Westminster College.   The program seeks out men and women who distinguish themselves by relating religion to issues of contemporary life.

For more information, contact the Westminster College Chapel Office at (724) 946-7115.  For more information about Bishop Nazir-Ali, e-mail Chris Stone at chris.stone@rochester.anglican.org

The Right Rev. Dr. Michael Nazir-Ali