Saturday after the seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

George Kennedy Allen Bell (1883–1958) served as Bishop of Chichester from 1929 until his death. Educated at Oxford and Cambridge, Bell was a theologian, liturgist, and ecumenical statesman of profound conviction. As bishop, he earned international respect for his prophetic stands: in 1944, he delivered speeches in the House of Lords criticizing the Allied bombing of German cities as morally unjustifiable, a position that cost him politically. During Nazi occupation, Bell maintained correspondence with Dietrich Bonhoeffer and other members of the German Confessing Church, offering moral and practical support to those resisting totalitarianism. He helped facilitate Bonhoeffer's escape attempts and spoke for persecuted German Christians when diplomatic channels were closed. Bell was instrumental in founding the World Council of Churches and in advancing ecumenical dialogue across denominational and national lines. His liturgical scholarship shaped Anglican worship.

George Bell represents prophetic courage in the face of state power and the willingness to stand alone when conscience demands it. His ecumenical work crossed national and confessional lines to defend the persecuted and advance Christian unity. His relationship with Bonhoeffer exemplifies spiritual friendship grounded in shared resistance to tyranny.