Rogers Morgan Govender
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The Very Reverend Rogers Morgan Govender is the current Dean of Manchester.
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[edit] History
Originally from Durban in Natal, and ordained in 1985, he was Rector of St. Mathew's Hayfields in Pietermaritzburg and then of St. Thomas' Musgrave Road before emigrating in 2002 to the UK after 15 years of service in the Diocese of Natal. Rogers is a 6th generation South African man, and at the time of his appointment was England's first black Cathedral Dean, and the 3rd most senior black or Asian churchman in the Church of England.
[edit] Family
Rogers' Wife Celia is the administrator of the central Manchester City Learning Centre, and they have two children, Jonathan & Claire. Manchester (and subsequently Rogers) has a reputation in education, visiting schools and hosting events connecting contemporary culture with the Christian Faith.
[edit] News Items
In 2007, Rogers became embroiled in a legal conflict with Sony over the game "Resistance: Fall of Man". The game features a shootout in Manchester Cathedral, and the Church of England claims Sony did not acquire the appropriate permissions to use the Cathedral's image. Rogers spoke out against the game publicly, calling it "highly irresponsible" due to the history of gun crime in the city.
Rogers also filled in for Tom Hanks in a Spoofed "Da Vinci Code" Movie Poster in 2006, to promote a "Da Vinci Code Mass" at the Cathedral, intended to address the issues raised by the controversial book, and the movie based upon it. The mass was inspired by a poll revealing that the book and movie may have grossly undermined public trust in the Catholic church.
