Yahoo News What happens next after Archbishop of Canterbury resigns?
The Archbishop of Canterbury has resigned after a report found the Church of England covered up abuse of more than 100 boys and young men by the barrister John Smyth for years.
A survivor of Smyth’s abuse, along with three members of the General Synod, a bishop and several other clergy members, had called on the Most Rev Justin Welby to quit on Monday.
The independent report, released last week, concluded that the Archbishop’s failure to act on concerns about Smyth, who died in 2018, meant the Church’s most prolific serial child abuser was never brought to justice.
Here, The Telegraph explains the process for selecting his replacement.
How does an archbishop quit?
The Archbishop of Canterbury would typically serve until the mandatory retirement age of 70.
However, an archbishop is able to retire earlier and would have to inform the King if they wish to do so.
The King would then accept and approve the resignation.
On retirement, they would usually be appointed as a life peer in the House of Lords.
Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, revealed the late Queen once told him she herself “can’t resign” when he visited the palace to try to step down from the job.
Lord Carey served as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to 2002 and, during his period in office, took part in the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997 and became the first Archbishop to ordain women to the priesthood.
In his statement announcing his resignation, the archbishop said: “It is my duty to honour my Constitutional and church responsibilities, so exact timings will be decided once a review of necessary obligations has been completed, including those in England and in the Anglican Communion.”
Has it happened before?
Dr Rowan Williams, Mr Welby’s predecessor, resigned from his role in 2012, aged 61.
Despite being capable of continuing in his post for a further eight years, Dr Williams announced he would return to academia, as master of Magdalene College at the University of Cambridge, the following January.
Dr Williams, who held his position between February 2003 and December 2012, was criticised during his tenure by conservatives for his liberal views on homosexuality.
In a series of letters from 2001 and 2003, he said gay relationships can “reflect the love of God” in a way that was comparable to marriage.
Four months after announcing his resignation, Dr Williams said Christians needed to confront feelings of embarrassment, shame and disgust over homosexuality.
How is a new Archbishop of Canterbury chosen?
The Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) is in charge of selecting the next Archbishop of Canterbury.
Its role is to submit the name of a preferred candidate (and a second appointable candidate) to the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister is constitutionally responsible for tendering advice on the appointment to the King.
When an Archbishop of Canterbury is chosen, there are 16 voting members. These are as follows:
The Chair (a layperson) – to be appointed by the Prime Minister
A Bishop – to be elected by the House of Bishops
The Archbishop of York or, if they choose not to be a member of the CNC, a further Bishop to be elected by the House of Bishops
The six representatives elected from the Diocese of Canterbury by their Vacancy in See Committee
The six representatives (three clergy and three lay) elected by the General Synod to serve as members of the Commission for a five-year period
A member of the Primates’ Meeting of the Anglican Communion, elected by the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion
In addition, the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, the Prime Minister’s Appointments Secretary and the Archbishops’ Secretary for Appointments are non-voting members of the Commission.
The Commission will vote on their recommended candidate, and a second appointable candidate, and their names will be passed to the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister commends the name preferred by the Commission to the King, who formally appoints them.
What is the role of the Archbishop of Canterbury ?
The Church of England is presided over by two archbishops: the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is “primate of All England”, and the Archbishop of York, who is “primate of England”.
It is the Archbishop of Canterbury who has the privilege of crowning the kings and queens of England and ranks immediately after the princes of royal blood.
The Archbishop is seen as the spiritual leader of 85 million Anglicans worldwide.
Their official residence is at Lambeth Palace, London, and second residence is at the Old Palace, Canterbury.
The Archbishop is the senior member of the House of Lords, the second chamber of the United Kingdom Parliament, and is the patron of many charities and organisations.
The first Archbishop of Canterbury was Augustine, who was sent to England by Pope Gregory I with the mission of converting the natives to Roman Christianity.
