n
a senior priest in the Anglican, Roman Catholic, Episcopal or Eastern Orthodox churches. Bishops are in charge of the work of other priests in a diocese (= a city or district). On ceremonial occasions a bishop wears a tall pointed hat, called a mitre , and carries a long decorated stick, or staff . When talked about, a bishop has the title ‘the Right Reverend’ or, in the Roman Catholic Church, ‘the Most Reverend’. A bishop is usually addressed as ‘Your Grace’. In Britain some senior bishops are members of the House of Lords . In 1989, the first female bishop was appointed, in the Episcopal Church of the United States. In the Anglican church, women cannot be bishops or archbishops.