Biography
Broadbent was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, Middlesex. He was 15 when he became a committed Christian through the Crusaders youth organisation. He studied English at Jesus College, Cambridge and then studied theology at St John's College, Nottingham before being ordained.
Broadbent's first curacy was at St Nicholas' Church, Durham when George Carey, who later became the Archbishop of Canterbury, was its vicar. Broadbent moved to the Diocese of London in 1980 to be curate of Emmanuel Church, Holloway and the Bishop of Stepney's Chaplain for Mission.
In 1983 he was appointed chaplain to the Polytechnic of North London, also serving as curate of St Mary's Islington. In 1989 he moved to the Willesden area, becoming Vicar of Trinity St Michael, Harrow and also became the Area Dean of Harrow in 1994 and the Archdeacon of Northolt in 1995.
Broadbent has served on the General Synod for 15 years and was a member of its Standing Committee. From 1999 to 2000 he chaired the Business Committee of Synod and played a role in the foundation of the Archbishops' Council. He is active in Spring Harvest, Europe's largest annual Christian conference.
Broadbent was one of three serving bishops in the Church of England to refuse to attend the 2008 Lambeth Conference, a gathering of all Anglican bishops convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury every 10 years.
Broadbent chaired the Diocesan Board for Schools for London from 1996–2006 and was from 1999–2003 on the governing body of the City Parochial Foundation. He is a member of the Labour Party and has been a councillor for the London Borough of Islington, being the chair of their Development and Planning Committee.. He is opposed to equal marriage for lesbians and gays and appeared on BBC TV's Newsnight on 15 March 2012 to speak out publicly against it.
Between the episcopacies of Bishops of Stepney Stephen Oliver and Adrian Newman, Broadbent temporarily and additionally had episcopal oversight over that area from 7 July 2010 until 22 July 2011.
His wife is Sarah, with whom he has a grown-up son. He supports Tottenham Hotspur FC.
Read more about this topic: Pete Broadbent
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