Last month the Archbishop of Canterbury formally stood down from office. In recent weeks people have often asked what I thought of the situation, and my preferences for the next person to occupy the Chair of S. Augustine, which is the ceremonial seat upon which the Archbishop of Canterbury sits when in Canterbury Cathedral.
There has been much written in the press, and online, on possible contenders and on the challenges which will need to be addressed. There may be some who point out, quite correctly, that we are in the Church in Wales which has her own Archbishop. The current Archbishop of Wales kindly wrote a letter supporting the pilgrimage of Our Lady along the Wye last year. However, the Archbishop of Canterbury serves as a spiritual focus and leader for the United Kingdom. Statements and actions that previous occupants have made are noted and commented upon within the constituent nations of Great Britain. We are all within the Anglican Communion, of which the Archbishop of Canterbury is regarded as the ‘first among equals’ among the Archbishops and Bishops of the Church.
A timetable has been set, which indicates that we will not know who has been appointed until September. This means that there will be many more articles filled with speculation, preference, and ‘insider’ information. My principal concern is that the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury be someone who loves the Church and her people. The past fifty years, if not slightly longer, have seen a plethora of reimagining, repurposing and restructuring ideas and programmes which have achieved little and annoyed many. This is all very inward looking and forgets that which history shows, namely that the Church has seasons of spring and of winter. It is by God’s grace that things happen, and we can only cooperate in that if we are faithful, trusting and model God Incarnate by being incarnate in the places in which we find ourselves.
The following words, penned by Julian of Norwich (1342-c1416) would be of much benefit for the next Archbishop of Canterbury:
It is necessary for us to do our duty with diligence; and even when we have done it, then shall we think that it is nothing – and in truth it is nothing. But if we do what we can and ask, in sincerity for mercy and grace, all that we lack we shall find in Him. And this is what he means when He says: ‘I am the ground of your earnest seeking.’
Please God, let it be that the Blessed Saints, most particularly Our Lady, continue to pray for us!
Fr. David
