CNC decision on ABC nomination "is not imminent"

The Times of London in a report by Ruth Gledhill:

The body responsible for choosing the next Archbishop of Canterbury has failed to agree who should be the successor to Dr Rowan Williams.


Despite a three day session, aided by prayers invoked on Twitter with the hashtage #prayforthecnc, the 16-member committee has been unable to decide on who should take on the job that the present incumbent today implied was “impossible”.

A source told The Times that a decision on who should succeed Dr Rowan Williams was not expected soon. “A decision is not imminent."


The story was run under the headline "Church of England fails to agree successor for Archbishop of Canterbury." No word on whether Gledhill wrote the headline.

The story is pay-walled and we only have access to the opening paragraphs.

Anglican Communion News Service has issued this statement:

Update on the Crown Nominations Commission of the Church of England

Posted On : September 28, 2012 5:18 PM |

This week's meeting of the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) has been accompanied by much speculation about possible candidates and the likely timing of an announcement of the name of who will succeed Dr Rowan Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury when he steps down to become Master of Magdalene College.

The CNC is an elected, prayerful body. Its meetings are necessarily confidential to enable members to fulfil their important responsibilities for discerning who should undertake this major national and international role. Previous official briefings have indicated that an announcement is expected during the autumn and that remains the case; the work of the Commission continues. There will be no comment on any speculation about candidates or about the CNC's deliberations. Dr Williams remains in office until the end of December.


Despite the statement's to "autumn" it had been expected the choice would be announced by next Wednesday.

There are reports the communications officer has told reporters asking about the update that the CNC meeting of three days has ended, but the task before it is not finished.

Added: Under the headline "Secretive committee still 'discerning' next Archbishop of Canterbury" The Telegraph reports,

A Church source added: “This is saying ‘back off, we’ve got our own timetable’ ... you can probaby take from that that the decision isn't imminent."

Check the betting odds here. Welby remains favored, by a wide margin at the time of this writing.

Posted by John B. Chilton on September 28, 2012 5:20 PM | |
Comments (11)

That is rurnt. But is anyone really surprised?

Posted by Clint Davis [TypeKey Profile Page] | September 28, 2012 5:41 PM

Will they go on a bread&water diet, like deadlocked Papal Conclaves of old?

JC Fisher

...who is having trouble processing this. The story reads a bit like "The Onion" (or the UK version "Newsthump")

Posted by tgflux [TypeKey Profile Page] | September 28, 2012 5:48 PM

Or, is this just Ruth being Ruth?

Posted by Elizabeth Kaeton [TypeKey Profile Page] | September 28, 2012 6:03 PM

Elizabeth - Agree the reader should apply the standard discount to what you read in an English newspaper even The Times pre-Murdoch.

"Not imminent" and "fail" could mean very little.

Posted by John B. Chilton [TypeKey Profile Page] | September 28, 2012 6:10 PM

"to enable members to fulfil their important responsibilities for discerning who should undertake this major national and international role. "

Maybe they should take the "international" part out of the equation, or lessen its priority. The CoE has plenty to do right at home. Claiming an international role that the rest of us have pretty much rejected is only cause for division and strife. Backing off is the way to say to everyone that we need to meet each other where we are as brothers and sisters in Christ. We don't need a mediator in the ABC, siding with human rights violators. We have a mediator, it is Christ.

So committee, pull back on the international thing. Work on your issues at home, like making the church relevant in your own culture. Everyone will be happier.

Posted by Cynthia Katsarelis [TypeKey Profile Page] | September 28, 2012 6:14 PM

I think it's probably true that the committee is having a hard time agreeing on a candidate, but perhaps we should not be surprised.

Cynthia, I so agree with your comment.

June Butler

Posted by GrandmèreMimi [TypeKey Profile Page] | September 28, 2012 6:58 PM

Its important to have a sense of humor about such matters, as British comedian Peter Ustinov once quipped on late night televsion, in the British army everything is possible--except victory.

Posted by Rod Gillis [TypeKey Profile Page] | September 28, 2012 7:02 PM

The group is a commission, not a committee. My mistake.

June Butler

Posted by GrandmèreMimi [TypeKey Profile Page] | September 28, 2012 7:44 PM

Speculation in a vacuum is totally subjective, but I wonder, given the events of recent months, if the deadlock might not be a consequence of the reported push to promote Chartres - who has never, in 20 years a bishop, ordained a woman to the priesthood - as a safe, caretaker pair of hands until Welby of Durham reaches the age of discretion.

Posted by Roger Mortimer [TypeKey Profile Page] | September 28, 2012 11:58 PM

The Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/29/church-england-talks-new-archbishop

QUOTE::
The Church of England has said the body responsible for choosing the next Archbishop of Canterbury is continuing its work after a three-day meeting, amid speculation that internal wrangling has left it unable to choose a candidate.

...

... a statement on Friday appeared to indicate no announcement was imminent.

"Previous official briefings have indicated that an announcement is expected during the autumn and that remains the case; the work of the commission continues," it said.
::UNQUOTE

Posted by John B. Chilton [TypeKey Profile Page] | September 29, 2012 2:07 PM

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