The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has this afternoon announced he will resign from the role after days of pressure from Church of England bishops. The move follows the publication of the Makin Review’s report on the Church’s handling of ‘serial child abuser’ John Smyth – which suggested Welby did not deal with complaints rigorously enough at the time.
In a statement today, the Archbishop wrote of his ‘long felt and profound sense of shame at the historic safeguarding failures of the Church of England’, adding:‘I hope this decision makes clear how seriously the Church of England understands the need for change and our profound commitment to creating a safer church. As I step down I do so in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse.’
So who are the potential contenders to replace Welby in the top job, and how much could stances on gender and sexuality influence the result?
Bishop of Leicester, Martyn Snow
Snow became the Bishop of Leicester in 2016 before entering the House of Lords in 2022. The lead Bishop of Living in Love and Faith, Snow has a history of being non-commital on issues of sexuality – which some interpret as a sign of having aspirations for high office. He is also the Bishop Protector of the Third Order of St Francis and works with the Church of England committee for minority ethnic Anglican concerns to tackle racism.
Bishop of Norwich, Graham Usher
Usher grew up in Ghana and was appointed honorary Canon of the country’s St Cyprian’s Cathedral in 2007. He became the Bishop of Norwich in 2017, taking his seat as a Lord Spiritual in 2023. He is also Lead Bishop for the Environment, appointed in 2021 by Welby. Usher is pro-LGBT rights, and has in the past apologised for the harm the Church has inflicted upon gay couples.
Bishop of Chelmsford, Guli Francis-Dehqani
Francis-Dehqani grew up in Iran before her family was forced to flee the country during the 1980 Iranian Revolution. She became the Bishop of Chelmsford in 2021 and entered the House of Lords in the same year. She is also the lead Bishop for Housing and chair of the Board of the Church Army. A keen writer, Francis-Dehqani has been praised for her focus on Christian service and spirituality and she is generally in favour of including LGBT couples.
Bishop of Chester, Mark Tanner
Tanner was appointed the Bishop of Chester in 2020, and has kept a low profile in comparison to his peers. He is an evangelical and abstained in the synod vote on stand-alone same-sex services – so may be seen as less controversial than other contenders – however has a questionable record on managing safeguarding issues.
Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, Paul Williams
Williams became Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham in 2015, and entered the House of Lords in 2022. He has been described as having ‘impeccable’ conservative evangelical credentials, and he is well acquainted with the Alliance, networks within the Church of England who affirm the ‘orthodox’ teachings on sexuality. He became a bishop at 41, and has a history of siding with those in the Church more resistant to change.
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