There has been an outpouring of support for the Bishop of Guildford, Rt Rev Andrew Watson, who has been given just weeks to live.

This month, Bishop Andrew revealed that he had inoperable cancer. At the time he hoped to have chemotherapy and carry on his duties as bishop until at least Easter.

However, on February 19, he wrote to members of the Diocese of Guildford that he now knew the primary tumour on his pancreas to be an “adenosquamous carcinoma”, which is rare and aggressive and chemotherapy would probably do more harm than good. He said he was feeling weaker every day.

Bishop Andrew wrote he had “plucked up the courage to ask ‘So how long might I have to live?’,” and had been told “You'd be doing well if you were still alive in a month's time”.

He said his main focus now would be on “cheerfully persisting towards a good death” so he had passed interim leadership of the diocese to Rt Rev Paul Davies, Bishop of Dorking.

He also wrote that he did not fear dying: “I find to my relief that my faith in the ‘resurrection of the body and the life everlasting’ has only grown stronger over the past few weeks”.

A vigil took place at Guildford Cathedral on Monday (23 February).

Bishop Andrew said he and his family had been inundated with a “tidal wave of love, prayer and goodwill that has swept us along …It’s wonderful to know ourselves so supported by thousands around the diocese, the nation and beyond.”

Speaking on behalf of the N W Surrey Synagogue in Weybridge, Interfaith Officer Philip Goldenberg said: “Bishop Andrew is a valued colleague and dear friend in the interfaith world.

“I have written to him to say that our Synagogue will hold him in our hearts and prayers, and have had a warm reply.”