Martyn Snow

Episcopal ministry

On 25 September 2013, Snow was consecrated a bishop by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, during a service in Westminster Abbey.^[4][8] In October 2013, he started his duties as Bishop of Tewkesbury, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Gloucester.^[4] He was acting diocesan Bishop of Gloucester from 5 August 2014 until Rachel Treweek took up the role of diocesan bishop in June 2015.^[9]

On 15 December 2015, it was announced that Snow would be translated to Leicester in 2016.^[5][10] Snow officially became Bishop of Leicester with the confirmation of his election on 22 February 2016.^[11] He then become the youngest diocesan bishop in the Church of England, aged 48.^[12] On 14 May 2016, a service of installation was held at Leicester Cathedral during which he was seated on his Cathedra and given the crozier of the Diocese of Leicester.^[13]

Safeguarding controversy

In May 2016 Snow was one of six bishops cited in the Guardian and Church Times as subject of Clergy Disciplinary Measure complaints owing to their alleged inaction on a survivor's disclosure.^[14][15] The bishops contested the complaints.^[16] All six bishops were pictured on a protest brochure which the survivor handed out at Steven Croft's enthronement as bishop of Oxford later that year.^[17][18] Since then the survivor has called for an independent review of the church's handling of his disclosure. In 2018, Snow was reported in the media to be one of several bishops being investigated by South Yorkshire Police for failure to act on this safeguarding disclosure. The priest against whom the allegations were made, killed himself the day before due to appear in court.^[19][20][21]