A member of the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) has raised issues in regards to the technique of appointing the following Archbishop of Canterbury, claiming that there’s a lack of transparency and a “complicated” assortment of our bodies charged with making the choice.
The previous Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, introduced he can be stepping down late final 12 months, following a report that was crucial of his dealing with of abuse allegations.
The method for selecting the following Archbishop entails Emptiness in See Committees (ViSCs) from every diocese which elect members of the Crown Nominations Fee (CNC).
The CNC deliberates on any nominated candidates, earlier than interviewing those that make the shortlist.
The ultimate candidate is then proposed to the King, through the Prime Minister, and eventually the King formally appoints the brand new Archbishop of Canterbury – and head of the Anglican Communion.
Rev Dr Andrew Goddard, a member of the CEEC, has taken subject with step one on this course of, the ViSCs. In line with Dr Goddard, due course of has not been adopted by a ViSC shaped by the Canterbury diocese for 2022 to 24.
Confusingly, Canterbury shaped one other ViSC following Welby’s resignation and now the formation of a 3rd ViSC in Canterbury diocese has additionally been begun.
Dr Goddard states, “There seems to have been, and nonetheless stays, some appreciable confusion and severe questions which want answering with at least three completely different Emptiness in See Committees (ViSC) being in existence within the diocese for the reason that emptiness was introduced however with all of them probably not compliant with the Regulation.”
Goddard stated that the ViSCs in Canterbury had many vacancies as a consequence of a failure to switch members inside official timeframes.
He additionally claimed that present guidelines imply that Canterbury ViSCs are forbidden from nominating a male priest to the CNC, as they’re at the moment required to appoint a minimum of one clergywoman and one lay girl.
This, mixed with the requirement that half the candidates be lay, ensures that there’ll “unprecedentedly, be no male priest from the province concerned in deciding on the Archbishop”.
Dr Goddard stated that the method for selecting the following Archbishop wants “better transparency and fuller explanations”.
