The Rt. Rev. William E. Swing

Founder and President Emeritus of URI; Former Episcopal Bishop of California

William E. Swing is the Founder and President Emeritus of the United Religions Initiative. Bishop Swing had the original vision of URI in 1993 in response to an invitation from the United Nations, which asked him to host an interfaith service honoring the 50th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter. Bishop Swing, along with 50 others, shaped the URI purpose (to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice, and healing for the Earth and all living beings). URI is currently the largest interfaith grassroot organization.

Bishop Swing Bishop Swing served as the 7th Episcopal Bishop of California from 1980 until his retirement in 2006. In that capacity, he was a national and international leader in response to the AIDS crisis, co-founded Episcopal Community Services to address San Francisco’s homeless problem, and co-founded Community Bank of the Bay to support local businesses and the economy.

He is married to Mary Taylor Swing and has two children and three grandchildren.

Books by Bishop Swing: A Bishop's Quest: Founding a United Religions and The Sacred and the Silly: A Bishop's Playful and Eventful Life. Both books are available on Amazon.com; the proceeds of book sales will benefit URI.

URI Stories of Impact

The Alternative to Nuclear Annihilation: A Tribute to ICAN

The Nobel Peace Prize was presented to the Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Perfect timing! And desperately needed in order to change the options from brutal catastrophe to sensible security.

Reflections On My Trip to Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina

The Right Rev. William E. Swing, URI President and Founding Trustee, shares personal reflections from his trip to Sarajevo for the URI Global Leadership Conference.

Gulf Oil Spill

I recently went to a fund-raiser for the URI CC Interfaith Power and Light. The speaker was the eminent American biologist and author about the global environmental crisis, Dr. E.O. Wilson. It was a fascinating conversation and it got me to thinking about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. What are we saying to God in the face of this catastrophe?

The Shaking of the Foundations

Witnessing innocent lives dashed by profound evil, spurred people to gravitate to a place where good was celebrated. Ultimate forces were then in play. Solace and hope were sought above all else.

Pittsburgh, URI and the Paris Climate Accord

In June 2017, the President of the United States, declared, “I was elected to represent citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris,” as he pulled this country out of the Paris Climate Accord.

A Eulogy for William K. Bowes, Jr.

Read the complete transcript of the homily offered by The Right Rev. William E. Swing, URI President and Founder, and lifelong friend, at Bill Bowes' memorial service on February 6, 2017.

Growing the URI Network in Florida

A congregation in West Palm Beach, Florida, wanted to jump into interfaith work and got in touch with me.

Christmas Day Sermon at Grace Cathedral

There are two kinds of Christmas sermons, because there are two kinds of Christmas stories in the Bible.

Celebrating Sidney Drell

In the early 1980’s, I invited Sidney Drell, a renowned physicist from Stanford University, to speak at Grace Cathedral about nuclear weapons. That occasion was the start of a twenty-five-year friendship.

A URI Perspective on the US Presidential Election

Photo from a post-election demonstration in Washington, DC, USA | Photo Credit: Ted Eytan for Wikimedia

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