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LONDON: Pressure mounting for liberal successor at York
Church of England Newspaper
November 17, 2004
The next Archbishop of York should welcome change in the church’s policy on homosexual priests and women bishops according to a round of consultation in the Diocese of the York conducted by the church and Downing Street civil servants responsible for senior appointments.
In a meeting at Bishopthorpe, the Prime Minister’s Secretary for Appointments, William Chapman, and the Archbishop’s Appointments Secretary, Caroline Boddington, were lobbied on women bishops and gay priests.
Fifty people wanted the next Archbishop to welcome change on women bishops, in contrast to the policy of the current Archbishop, Dr David Hope, who even signalled that he might resign over women bishops.
Martin Sheppard of the diocese said that about 50 people at the meeting with the Crown Nominations Commission, wanted the new Archbishop to support women’s ministry and to work ‘with compassion and integrity’ on the subject of homosexuality.
The election of the Bishop of Newcastle as the representative of the House of Bishops on the Crown Nominations Commission may have tipped the commission in a more liberal direction on the subject of human sexuality. Bishop Martin Wharton was one of the few liberal bishops to publicly declare support for Canon Jeffrey John during the controversy over his appointment to Reading.
The Commission also contains one of the Church of England’s leading gay activists, the Southwark clergyman, Paul Collier. He is one of the House of Clergy’s representatives on the Commission.
At the end of last month the Diocese of York Vacancy-in-See Committee elected its six members of the Commission. They are the Bishop of Hull, Richard Frith, the Archdeacon of Cleveland, Paul Ferguson, Mr Richard Liversedge, Mrs Jennifer Reid, Mr Ian Smith and Canon Glyn Webster. The CNC will be chaired by Sir Nigel Sherlock, the Lord Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear.
The Commission is completed by the three clergy representatives: Paul Collier, Canon Penny Driver and Professor Anthony Thiselton; three Lay members, Mrs Janet Atkinson, Mr Ian Garden and Dr Elaine Storkey. The Archbishop of Canterbury is also a member of the Commission.
Bishop Martin Wharton’s alternate, if he cannot attend the meeting of the Crown Nominations Commission, is the Bishop of Southwell, the Rt Rev George Cassidy.
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