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Chair of St Augustine

failing to agree on Archbishop of Canterbury

Chair of St AugustineThe Crown Nominations Commission (CNC), after meeting for three days has failed to agree to a name to present through David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, to the Queen for her appointment.

The official media release is:

This week’s meeting of the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) has been accompanied by much speculation about possible candidates and the likely timing of an announcement of the name of who will succeed Dr Rowan Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury when he steps down to become Master of Magdalene College.

The CNC is an elected, prayerful body. Its meetings are necessarily confidential to enable members to fulfil their important responsibilities for discerning who should undertake this major national and international role. Previous official briefings have indicated that an announcement is expected during the autumn and that remains the case; the work of the Commission continues. There will be no comment on any speculation about candidates or about the CNC’s deliberations. Dr Williams remains in office until the end of December.

[UPDATE: in response to people’s angst, I have re-opened the online petition to The Crown Nominations Commission and Britain’s Prime Minister: That Geraldine Granger be appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by the Queen. SIGN UP – tell your friends]

ps. this Southern-hemisphere blogger is little surprised, in the present state of the Communion, at how many Anglicans still live on a flat earth. By “an announcement is expected during the autumn“, for those of us having moved on to accepting the world is round, for half the planet they mean “the Spring”! [Unless they are really going to drag it out…]

pps. For those of you who can cope with the “F” word – they were secretly filming the meeting (as you know they do!)

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8 thoughts on “failing to agree on Archbishop of Canterbury”

  1. Helen-Ann Hartley

    An announcement was never expected until at least November. This press release does not say they have not made a decision.

  2. The Interesting thing here will be what happens if they fail to agree at its next meeting. Perhaps Archbishop David Moxon could be a good compromise candiate?

  3. All interesting here B.

    As an aside,

    I was reading this morning and found a sonnet by William Wordsworth that might interest you/possibly your readers. Sonnet 19 Part III ‘The Liturgy’, you may know it. You never know when you might be at a loose end for some material. Though clearly – there is plenty out there at the mo.

    All good blessings,
    Cameron

  4. there is no indication from this press release that a name has not been chosen – merely that they have been meeting, that the re has been speculation, and that an announcement will be made in due course. as the work of the commission is both to suggest and to pray, this work continues (at least the prayer should continue) until the nominee accepts the post and an announcement is made.

    whilst the news (when it comes) is certainly of interest in a wider context, the CNC is an English group, seeking an archbishop for an English church, an announcement in the “autumn” reflects this appropriately, without giving a definite deadline….

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