Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announced he would resign, an historic and unprecedented move, in light of accusations that he mishandled an abuse cover-up scandal. It is the first time that a leader of the Church of England-the wider Anglican Communion, with 85 million Christians around the world-has been forced to step down in such a manner.
Welby, the head of the church since 2013, resigned “in sorrow” and declared it was too early to say exactly when he would depart, saying only that this would be determined by the outcome of a review of his remaining responsibilities. Under normal circumstances, he would have retired in his early 70s but his departure is surrounded by controversy.
Succession Plan and Selection Procedure
The process of selecting a successor for Welby will be based on a consultation period to identify the needs of the Church of England and that of the wider Anglican Communion. Afterwards, for the position, the Crown Nominations Committee will propose some candidates to fill it.
The committee will have 17 members, including the Archbishop of York, second-highest bishop in the Church, representatives from the Anglican Communion, the Diocese of Canterbury, and the governing body that is the General Synod. Recommendations from this committee will be forwarded to Prime Minister Keir Starmer who will then appoint his nominee to have him formally appointed by King Charles.
Contenders for Welby Successor
Among those listed as favorites to succeed Welby are Leicester Bishop Martyn Snow, Norwich Bishop Graham Usher, and Chelmsford Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani. Francis-Dehqani, who was ordained several years after the Church of England ordained its first female bishop, would be the first woman to hold the job if promoted.
Snow is known for not voting on anything that would have stamped their approval on the marriage of same-sex couple, while Usher an activist for gay rights and has been trying to raise taxes on companies dealing with fossil fuels. The other one is Francis-Dehqani who was born in Iran and whose brother got murdered during Iranian Revolution. So, she is already known as a crusader on human rights.
Challenges Welby’s Successor Will Face
The new Archbishop of Canterbury inherits a Church that is already in disarray over the issues of same-sex marriage and LGBTQ+ participation within the Church. These tensions have caused splits not just within the Church of England but throughout the broader Anglican Communion, particularly in African churches, where attitudes toward homosexuality remain conservative.
The principal problem of the archbishop of Canterbury,” according to David Thompson, an emeritus professor of modern church history at the University of Cambridge, is “combining the role of primate of all England and head of the Anglican Communion.” This, he said, “is quite effectively a relic of empire,” and has led to an unsettling conflict of roles that hasn’t been satisfactorily resolved.
A Legacy of Struggle and Reform
In his letter of resignation, Welby expressed regret for his not having carried out the changes he wanted to institute during nearly twelve years of service. “For nearly twelve years I have struggled to introduce improvements,” he said. “It is for others to judge what has been done.”.
Despite the controversies, the resignation by Welby speaks to the recognition of a need for change on part of the Church of England. Unprecendented in its departure, his own struggle is indicative of the institution’s yearning to modernise without losing its traditional sight of things.
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