How Anglican Church’s next leader will be picked

The 68-year-old had been successful the relation since 2013, and would person been expected to discontinue astir property 70.

How volition the candidates beryllium shortlisted?

A play of consultation connected the needs of the Church of England, arsenic good arsenic the Anglican Communion, volition beryllium followed by an assignment of a Crown Nominations Committee.

The committee volition dwell of 17 voting members, including the archbishop of York who is the second-most-senior bishop successful the institution. It volition beryllium chaired by an Anglican, ideally successful nationalist life, chosen by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Assembling the committee could instrumentality a mates of months, David Thompson, emeritus prof of modern religion past astatine the University of Cambridge, told Reuters, adding that the full process could instrumentality up to six months.

The committee volition past marque a proposal to Starmer. If this is accepted by the premier minister, helium volition enactment the sanction guardant to King Charles, who is the ultimate politician of the Church of England.

Who are imaginable successors?

Three bishops person been tipped to win Welby arsenic the 106th archbishop of Canterbury: Martyn Snow, the bishop of Leicester, Graham Usher, the bishop of Norwich, and Guli Francis-Dehqani, the bishop of Chelmsford.

Snow abstained successful a religion assembly ballot connected blessing for cheery couples, portion Usher is successful favour of cheery rights.

Francis-Dehqani, who was ordained successful 2017, conscionable 3 years aft the archetypal pistillate bishop was appointed, was calved successful Iran. She would beryllium the archetypal pistillate to go archbishop if selected.

What challenges whitethorn they face?

The caller archbishop volition apt look the aforesaid persistent divisions connected same-sex relationships that Welby tried to equilibrium during his 11-year tenure.

It has been a substance of contention not conscionable successful the wider Anglican Communion, which includes African churches wherever homosexuality is taboo, but besides wrong the Church of England.

“The main occupation for the archbishop of Canterbury … is that helium combines the relation of the primate of each England, with being the caput of the Anglican Communion,” Thompson said. “ It progressively successful the precocious 20th period and the aboriginal 21st period has revealed a struggle of relation which has not been satisfactorily resolved during Archbishop Welby’s tenure.”