Andrew Paul Bartholomew White (born June 1964) is a British clergyman who was the Vicar of St George's Church, Baghdad, the only Anglican church in Iraq, until his departure was ordered in November 2014 by the Archbishop of Canterbury due to security concerns over his support for the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
White studied anaesthetics and surgery at St Thomas' Hospital, London, and qualified as an operating department assistant in 1985.
White was ordained in the Church of England in 1990,[3] and became a curate at St Mark's, Battersea Rise in the Diocese of Southwark.
In 1997 – his final year as vicar of the Church of the Ascension – he was a Wandsworth Borough Councillor and served as Deputy Chairman of Social Services.
[4] Canon White mediated in the release of the late Jaweed Al-Ghussein elected Chairman of the Palestine National fund and CEO of Cordoba Group.
Denied access to the Red Cross in Gaza, Canon White was able to visit him and eventually through his position as Special Envoy mediated Jaweed Al-Ghussein's release back to the UK.
[5][6][7] In Iraq, Canon White lived in Baghdad until November 2014, serving as the vicar of St George's Church just outside the Green Zone.
In November 2014 the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, ordered his departure due to the increased security risks and the Church of England's no hostage policy.
He is a regular voice on national and international radio and TV and continues to travel globally, speaking at churches, Bible Schools, universities and political / religious conferences around the world.
As well as engaging in national and international public speaking and lecturing, he continues to fulfil his pastoral duties to his displaced Iraqi congregation, many of whom currently reside in Jordan.
Canon White remains one of the key global voices concerning the plight of the persecuted church and is dedicated to raising awareness of this issue in all of his work.