Andrew Hutchison

Andrew Sandford Hutchison (born 18 September 1937 in Toronto) is a retired Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada. Prior to his election at the General Synod of 2004, he was the Bishop of Montreal and Metropolitan of the ecclesiastical province of Canada (which, despite its name, covers southern Quebec, the Maritimes, and Newfoundland). He was viewed as one of the more liberal contenders in the primatial election, and was Canadian Chair of Affirming Catholicism.[1]

The Most Reverend Andrew Sandford Hutchison
Primate Emeritus of the Anglican Church of Canada
Archbishop Hutchison in 2007
Church	Anglican Church of Canada
See	Extra-diocesan
In office	2004–2007
Predecessor	Michael Peers
Successor	Fred Hiltz
Other posts	Archbishop of Montreal and Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada Bishop Ordinary to the Canadian Forces
Orders
Ordination	1970
Consecration	1990
Personal details
Born	(1937-09-18) 18 September 1937 Toronto, Ontario, Cananda

He was elected amid controversy over his support for blessing of same-sex unions (he had stated he does not favour same-sex marriage as such).

Hutchison began his ecclesiastical career as a transitional deacon at Christ Church Deer Park in the Diocese of Toronto. He is a graduate and lifelong supporter of Upper Canada College. He studied at York University and the Trinity College, Toronto. Hutchison is fluent in English and French.

Following his confirmation as Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, Hutchison toured Cuba in February 2005, meeting with religious leaders of the Episcopal Church of Cuba and theology students in Cuba, as well as government officials and the Roman Catholic Archbishop.

Hutchison delivered a response in late 2005 to the call for the destruction of Israel by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, condemning Ahmadinejad for his remarks which incite "hatred of the Jewish people and supporting violence against them."

During the 2006 Canadian federal election, Hutchison co-authored a letter with the Bishop of Toronto and Bishop Michael Pryse of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada's Eastern Synod in delivering a plea for more funding to alleviate poverty in Canada.

In April 2006, Hutchison announced that he would be retiring in 2007, just after the General Synod elected his successor as well as attaining the retirement age for Anglican clergy (between 65–70 years of age), as he reached his 70th birthday that year.

He was replaced by Fred Hiltz, the Bishop of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, who was elected Primate on 22 June 2007.