The selection of the new Archbishop of Canterbury may be delayed by the Diocese of Canterbury’s failure to follow consistent procedures for selecting its three members on the Crown Nominations Commission. The other 14 members of the commission were chosen by March, and the group is set to hold its first meeting in May.
Canon Stephen Knott, Archbishops’ Secretary for Appointments, released the names of the commission’s other members on May 13.
The three members from the Diocese of Canterbury who will serve on the commission must be selected from the diocese’s Vacancy in See Committee. The committee in place at the time of Archbishop Justin Welby’s retirement began its work, but the church found it was wrongly constituted, and half of its elected seats were vacant.
Instead of selecting the three members from among the body then in place, the diocese chose to hold new elections to the committee in February. After the period for receiving nominations had opened, General Synod approved new and more complex regulations for such committees.
As a result, some people who had been nominated were judged ineligible for election, and the election was invalidated. Steps toward a new election have begun, and it will conclude on May 23. The three members will be chosen by a newly elected committee, probably after the first meeting of the Crown Nominations Commission.
“The election of the new pope is all systems go. Meanwhile, the Church of England’s process to elect a new Archbishop of Canterbury continues to be an omnishambles,” Amanda Robbie, a lay member of the General Synod, told The Times.
Those responsible for the search say they remain hopeful that the commission will reach a final decision by September, as previously planned (though the results are not usually announced until six weeks later). Such a selection would come at least 10 months after Welby announced his resignation. The search will last about 20 times longer than that used by the Catholic Church to choose a successor to Pope Francis.
Related articles
- “Choosing the Archbishop of Canterbury” by Colin Podmore (TLC, Nov. 18, 2024)
- “Synod Rejects Bishops’ ‘Power Grab’ on Episcopal Elections” by Mark Michael (TLC, Feb. 14)
- “C of E Synod Expands Communion’s Role in Choosing ABC” by Rosie Dawson (TLC, July 21, 2022)
- “The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Anglican Communion” by Philip Groves (ViaMedia.News, Jan. 6)
The Rev. Mark Michael is editor-in-chief of The Living Church. An Episcopal priest, he has reported widely on global Anglicanism, and also writes about church history, liturgy, and pastoral ministry.
