THE Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, has been elected by the House of Bishops to be the Canterbury Province’s episcopal member of the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) that can nominate the subsequent Archbishop of Canterbury, it was announced on Wednesday.
As a member of the CNC, Bishop Usher will himself be out of the running .
“Despite speculation in recent months, I even have felt no sense of inner calling to be Archbishop of Canterbury,” Bishop Usher said on Wednesday afternoon.
“What has remained constant is God’s continued faithful call to serve the people and parishes of the wonderful diocese of Norwich, in addition to the national and international environmental roles I even have, all of which bring me much joy,” he said.
He said that it was a “weighty privilege” to have been elected on to the CNC. “I might want to listen very rigorously to the hopes and joys, challenges and fears, of the diocese of Canterbury, the broader Church of England, to the outcomes of the present consultation, to ecumenical companions, to people across the Anglican Communion, and to the candidates themselves,” he said.
“I really need to listen to from the young, the marginalised, the excluded, the silenced, the quieter voices, and particularly local parishioners. Then, I pray, God’s still, small voice can be heard.
“Whoever becomes the subsequent Archbishop of Canterbury might want to know, greater than anything, that he or she can only undertake this role with the grace and luxury of Almighty God. I’m praying that God calls a humble follower of Jesus who draws others to the abundant joy of Gospel life, a pastor and shepherd, and a mild prophet for our time.”
The Archbishop of York may also sit on the CNC. Had he chosen to not, one other bishop from the Province of York would have been elected to take his place.
The remaining membership of the CNC — including representatives of the diocese of Canterbury and the Anglican Communion — can be announced in early April, a Church House spokesperson said.
It is anticipated that the CNC will convene for its first meeting in May, and that no less than two further meetings will happen in July and September. It is hoped that a latest Archbishop of Canterbury can be announced in autumn.
