wfn.org | Canterbury after Carey: the possibilities

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2002-011

Canterbury after Carey: the possibilities

     Leading candidates for the list of potential nominees to the See of 
Canterbury, to be given to Prime Minister Tony Blair, include:

     Tom Butler, Bishop of Southwark (61) Bishop since 1998, and former bishop of 
Willesden and of Leicester, Butler is a leading spokesman on asylum and 
immigration issues. Butler is a scientist by background, with a master's degree 
and a doctorate in electronics.

     Richard Chartres, Bishop of London (54) Third most senior cleric in England 
since 1996, Chartres does not approve of the ordination of women. He studied at 
both Oxford and Cambridge and has delivered lectures on religion, science and the 
environment, and on the ethical and spiritual dimensions of the new IT 
environment. He served as Archbishop Robert Runcie's chaplain from 1980 to 1984 
and is said to be a favorite of the British royal family. 

     Peter Forster, Bishop of Chester (51)  Bishop since 1996, Forster is an 
evangelical who taught theology at St John's College, Durham, and was vicar of 
Beverley Minster before his elevation to the episcopate. He is a skilled 
craftsman who makes his own furniture and built a house in Scotland. He was a 
scientist before ordination. He has a doctorate in patristics, and is the chair 
of the theological group in the House of Bishops. 

     Christopher Herbert, Bishop of St Alban's (58)  Herbert is known as a witty 
preacher and chairman. As a member of the House of Lords, he made seven speeches 
last year on moral issues, particularly on cloning, family life and marriage. He 
chairs the Council of Christians and Jews and the Hospital Chaplaincies Council. 
He has written 12 books on spirituality, including Pocket Prayers for Children. 
He served as vicar of the Bourne in Surrey for nine years.

     David Hope, Archbishop of York (61)  Now second most senior cleric in the 
Church of England, Hope became bishop of Wakefield in 1985. Six years later, he 
became bishop of London, and was translated to York in 1995. Public speculation 
over his sexuality during the early 1990s culminated in his statement that he 
regarded his sexuality as "a grey area." He opposes the ordination of women as 
priests and bishops. 

     Graham James, Bishop of Norwich (50)  James was educated at Lancaster and 
Oxford. In 1987, he was appointed chaplain to the then Archbishop of Canterbury, 
Robert Runcie, and he stayed to work with Carey until 1993. He was translated to 
Norwich from St Germans in Cornwall. He is a member of the Countryside Agency, 
and deputy chairman of the Central Religious Advisory Committee.

     James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool (53) One of the youngest bishops, Jones was 
translated in 1998 from Hull. He is one of the most media-minded in the House of 
Bishops, unafraid of making controversial statements. He has also spoken out 
about the plight of working-class young men. An evangelical like Carey, he is 
reputed to be a favorite of Prime Minister Blair.

     Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester (52)  Born in Pakistan, he could be a 
shrewd choice in a racially divided Britain. He knows the Islamic world well, and 
chairs the committee considering allowing women bishops. But he has already 
raised eyebrows by effectively declaring his candidacy in an interview with BBC 
Radio 4, following Carey's retirement announcement. A former bishop of Raiwind in 
Pakistan, he was prominent in the last Lambeth Conference. He studied in both 
Oxford and Cambridge, and has also taught in Cambridge and Karachi. He was the 
general secretary of the Church Missionary Society for several years before his 
appointment as Bishop of Rochester in 1994.

     Michael Scott-Joynt, Bishop of Winchester (58)  Scott-Joynt has a passion 
for developing links with overseas dioceses, and for encouraging teenagers and 
young people to play a more active part in the church. He has attended several 
rave-in-the-nave events at Winchester Cathedral since taking up the post in 1996. 
His report, Marriage in Church After Divorce, came out in January 2000.

     Peter Selby, Bishop of Worcester (60)  Educated at Oxford, London and 
Massachusetts, Selby spent much of his working life in London. His previous see 
was Kingston, which he left for a spell in academia. Social issues top the 
bishop's agenda. Selby had a public falling-out with the team vicar of St John's, 
Kidderminster, the Rev. Charles Raven, for not publicly renouncing the ordination 
of homosexuals. Selby made it clear that Raven's license would not be renewed. He 
is a former president of the Modern Churchpeople's Union.

     Kenneth Stevenson, Bishop of Portsmouth (52)  Stevenson is a liturgist and 
scholar, educated at Edinburgh, Southampton and Manchester, and the holder of two 
doctorates. He is half-Scottish and half-Danish, speaks Danish, and has preached 
in his family's native town of Aarhus. He is a member of the House of Lords, 
where he has spoken out against the detention of asylum-seekers at Haslar in 
Portsmouth. He also has strong views on housing, poverty and unemployment.

     Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Wales (51)  Williams is widely regarded as one 
of the finest minds in the Anglican Communion. He was only 36 when he became Lady 
Margaret Professor of Divinity at Oxford in 1986. He had been Lecturer in 
Divinity and Dean of Clare at Cambridge, and Canon Theologian at Leicester. His first 
book appeared when he was 29, and it has been followed by academic works and 
comment on contemporary issues. In recent months, he identified Christian values 
displayed by the American TV cartoon series The Simpsons. His views on church-state 
relations, his questioning of the role of the monarchy, and his support for lesbians and 
gays in the Church may become issues.

     Other names that might make it to the CAC's list include the Rt. Rev. Ian Cundy,
bishop of Peterborough (56); the Rt. Rev. John Gladwin, bishop of Guildford (59); 
the Rt. Rev. Tim Stevens, bishop of Leicester (55); the Rt. Rev. John Packer, bishop 
of Ripon & Leeds (56); and the Rt. Rev. Richard Lewis, bishop of St Edmundsbury & 
Ipswich (58). 

--Material for this story was adapted from the Church Times and other sources.