By Kirk Petersen
Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry has been released from a North Carolina hospital after experiencing internal bleeding and treatment for a heart condition, the Office of Public Affairs announced on May 30.
Curry, who turned 70 in March, is being monitored and treated for atrial fibrillation (AFib), which was detected at an annual physical, the announcement said. Public Affairs Officer Amanda Skofstad later said the annual physical was in December.
AFib “is the most common type of treated heart arrhythmia. An arrhythmia is when the heart beats too slowly, too fast, or in an irregular way,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The condition is associated with a fivefold increase in an individual’s risk for stroke, and AFib-related strokes “tend to be more severe than strokes with other underlying causes,” the CDC website states.
“While in the hospital, Curry experienced two other episodes of irregular heartbeat, and he will wear a heart monitor to determine what further treatment is necessary. Until he is cleared for air travel by his medical team, Curry will remain in Raleigh, resting and working from home on a reduced schedule,” the Office of Public Affairs said. Curry was Bishop of North Carolina before becoming presiding bishop, and lives in Raleigh.
This is the third time Curry has been hospitalized since becoming presiding bishop in 2015. The first was in December 2015, barely a month after his installation, when he underwent emergency brain surgery to relieve a subdural hematoma, TLC reported at the time. A subdural hematoma is a pooling of blood beside the brain, and is most commonly caused by a head injury, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
In 2018, Curry underwent surgery to remove his prostate, after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
News of the most recent hospitalization was posted on the presiding bishop’s Facebook page at about 9 a.m. May 30, touching off a flood of prayers and well-wishes. By late afternoon, more than 1,600 people had “liked” or acknowledged the post, and more than 400 people had left comments.
Curry’s tenure in office will end on October 31, 2024, and his successor will be elected at the General Convention in June 2024. Presiding bishops serve a nine-year term, and are not eligible for reelection. The position involves extensive travel, as the presiding bishop is canonically required to visit every diocese of the church, of which there are more than 100 — mostly in the United States, but also in countries as far-flung as Taiwan and South America. As primate of the Episcopal Church — one of the 42 autonomous provinces of the global Anglican Communion — the presiding bishop also travels throughout the world.
