You are here
Diocese of York rules out pro-gay primate
By Jonathan Petre and Jonathan Wynne-Jones
The Telegraph
LONDON (2/17/2005)--Pro-gay liberals have been virtually ruled out of the running to become the next archbishop of York, the second most senior post in the Church of England, The Telegraph has learned.
Speculation about a successor to Dr David Hope has been rife in the Church since he announced plans last year to retire and return to the simple life of a parish priest in Ilkley, West Yorks.
The appointment comes at a highly sensitive time for the Church, which is facing serious splits over homosexuality and is still reeling from the row over the celibate homosexual cleric Dr Jeffrey John.
Many in the Church would like the next archbishop to come from the liberal wing and to advance radical ideas. Several speakers at a recent public meeting in the diocese insisted that he should be "inclusive".
But a "statement of needs" has been drawn up by senior representatives of the diocese which is understood to favour a more mainstream or conservative candidate.
Insiders say that the official statement, which carries great weight with the Crown Nominations Commission, calls for the next archbishop to be theologically orthodox.
Observers believe that it could dent the prospects of several senior bishops who have been tipped for the post, such as the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Rev John Gladwin, and the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Rev Tim Stephens.
The latter was among nine bishops who signed a letter supporting Dr John as bishop of Reading in the summer of 2003, an appointment that provoked such a conservative backlash that the cleric was forced to step down.
The York statement could enhance the chances of more mainstream figures. Other names mentioned include the Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Rev Nigel McCulloch, and the Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Rev James Jones.
An insider said the diocese was broadly conservative and would not welcome an archbishop who was out of step with the majority of his flock.
The confidential statement of needs was drawn up after widespread consultations by the York diocese's vacancy-in-see committee and reflects the qualities that the committee would like to see in the next archbishop.
Six committee members are seconded to the Crown Nominations Commission, the 14-strong body that will recommend two names, normally in order of preference, to the Prime Minister.
It has held a preliminary meeting and is due to convene again this month. But the appointment is not expected before the summer.
The commission, whose members include clergy and laity, has compiled a list of about 20 names. It will make its final choice at its last meeting, due in May.
Tony Blair can chose the second of the two names or reject both and request a further submission. But such a decision would be very rare and could cause a crisis in the delicate relationship between Church and state.
Although the commission includes liberals and one openly gay member, there is a strong evangelical presence.
The appointment to such a senior post could have a significant impact on the direction of the Church at a time when the war between liberal and conservative factions threatens to tear it apart.
It is already the subject of gossip in the corridors of the Synod, which is meeting in London this week and which will formally bid farewell to Dr Hope today.
The divisions over homosexuality will also emerge today when the Synod debates the Windsor report. This was commissioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, to avert schism in the worldwide Church.
An even more critical meeting of the primates, the heads of the Church's 38 self-governing provinces, is to be held in a remote retreat in Northern Ireland next week.
The storm has been caused by the consecration of Anglicanism's first openly gay bishop, Canon Gene Robinson, in the American Episcopal Church.
Conservatives in Africa and Asia are threatening to walk out and set up a rival Church if the liberals fail to comply.
END
