http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19712347
Archbishop of Canterbury: Runners and riders
Who will succeed Rowan Williams as Archbishop of
Canterbury? The Crown Nominations Commission is meeting to decide who will take
his place, and at the end of its deliberations the 19-strong committee - which
includes bishops, priests and lay people - will give the prime minister the name
of its preferred candidate and a second choice. Here are some of the contenders
to lead the Church of England.
| John Sentamu | Richard Chartres | Justin Welby | Christopher Cocksworth | Graham James |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Archbishop of York |
Bishop of London |
Bishop of Durham |
Bishop of Coventry |
Bishop of Norwich |
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In his own words | ||||
| "The Church has always stood out - Jesus actually was the odd man out. I'd rather stick with Jesus than be popular because it looks odd." | "We are our brother's keepers - we're responsible for one another. Living in our own hermetically sealed bubble is not good enough." | "Each of us and all of us together need to care more about personal and general morality. Our culture has for years been saying 'You do what's right for you, and we'll all get on fine' - but we don't." | "What is attractive about the Church of England is that we don't try to cover up our differences, but we do try to work through them." | "The Church is relevant when it's meeting people's needs. There's no doubt that it's relevant to people's lives through service. What is much more difficult is to help people see that this service derives from our love of God, as well as our fellow human beings." |
Stance on equal marriage | ||||
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"Marriage must remain a union between a woman and a man," he has said. But he supports civil partnerships. |
Rejects calls for civil partnerships in churches. For clergy, the "two possibilities" available are "lifelong heterosexual marriage and the single state. I am upholding the official teaching of the Church but will not start witch hunts." |
He defended the Church's outright opposition to government moves to allow same-sex couples to get married. |
On controversial issues for the Church, he has yet to fully set out his
stall. "Generally, I see Christians wanting to sort it out," he has said. "And as long as people are wanting to sort it out, they are on the road to reconciliation." |
Claims gay marriage would create "a whole host of new minorities in society".
He supports civil partnerships. |
And on ordaining women | ||||
| Proposed female bishop could have full authority in her diocese but "in practice refrain from exercising" certain functions in a parish which objected to her. |
Has refused to ordain women. "I think the step [to have women bishops] is one which will have to be taken with enormous care bearing in mind the reverberations ecumenically." |
"I'm strongly in favour of women as bishops. What we're struggling with is how you make the change and ensure that women have the full authority as bishops without making it impossible for those who have real conscientious objections." | When asked about this by the Daily Telegraph, he replied: "Argument is not a bad thing; a deep anger that causes you to want nothing to do with the other is a bad thing." | Firmly in favour of women priests, and believes it is therefore impossible to mount any theological argument against women bishops. |
BBC religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott's view | ||||
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Some Anglicans look at the scale of the task facing the next archbishop and
conclude that a personality as big as John Sentamu's is needed, not least to
defend traditional Christian teaching. But others don't believe his personal style - as exemplified by his cutting up of a clerical collar live on BBC television - belongs in Canterbury. |
With his gravitas, experience and sense of occasion, Richard Chartres seems
an obvious fit for the role of archbishop. He would make a credible caretaker
leader for the Church. However, his age and failure to ordain a woman priest are likely to count against him. |
In a choice focused so much on the failings of potential candidates, people
struggle to find anything worse to say about Justin Welby than that his father
introduced President Kennedy to his first mistress. The dark horse of the contest, he does lack experience on Church leadership - he wasn't even a bishop a year ago - but his impressive record in the "real" world of business and finance might appeal. |
Conservative and mainstream evangelicals initially promoted him as an alternative to John Sentamu, positioning him as the intellectual evangelical whom liberals also like. Some of that lobbying has dissipated, but Bishop Cocksworth, although young at 53, might be considered well-placed to heal divisions in the Church of England and the wider Communion. | Graham James has a long record of competent management in the Church, and has been willing to confront the government about its gay marriage proposals and welfare cuts. His experience would make him the ultimate "safe choice", but he is also seen as lacking charisma and the capacity for inspirational leadership, so his best hope might be as a compromise candidate. |
Other contenders include the Bishop of Leicester, Tim Stevens; the Bishop of Bradford, Nick Baines; James Jones, who is the Bishop of Liverpool; and John Inge, the Bishop of Worcester.
Compiled by Mick Robson and Megan Lane
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