The Rt. Rev. William E. Swing

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Strategic Advisory Council Co-Chair; Founder and President Emeritus of URI; Former Episcopal Bishop of California

[email protected]

San Mateo, CA USA

Faith Community: Christian; Episcopalian 

Bishop William E. Swing is the Founder and President Emeritus of URI. As the 7th Episcopal Bishop of California (1980‑2006), he led significant engagement in homeless and immigrant ministries, HIV/AIDS response, and inter‑religious outreach in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1993, at the invitation of the United Nations, he convened an inter‑faith service to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the UN Charter—an event that catalyzed the formation of URI.

In his role on the SAC, Bishop Swing offers a visionary anchor for URI’s values of inclusive spirituality, inter‑faith dialogue and peacebuilding. His global network, deep experience in faith‑community leadership and institutional founding provide wise counsel for scaling daily inter‑religious collaboration, ending religion‑related violence and strengthening cultures of justice, healing and ecological stewardship.

URI Stories of Impact

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A Burning Cathedral

I write this article two days after the fire in the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, and exactly one hundred years to the day of the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906 when Grace Cathedral burned to the ground.