THE Archbishop of Canterbury will officially relinquish his position on 6 January, and shouldn’t be as a consequence of participate in Advent and Christmas services at Canterbury Cathedral, it was confirmed on Wednesday.
A press release released by Lambeth Palace says that Archbishop Welby’s “last day in post” shall be the Feast of Epiphany. It had previously been announced that he would stop his duties on that date; it’s now confirmed that, on the identical day, he’ll formally relinquish his position.
“From that date, his primatial functions shall be delegated, mainly to the Archbishop of York, his metropolitan functions to the Bishop of London, and his diocesan functions to the Bishop of Dover,” the statement says.
This division of labour implies that the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Sarah Mullally, will tackle responsibility for archepiscopal functions within the province of Canterbury, comparable to consecrating bishops, while Archbishop Cottrell will tackle duties that pertain to the entire Church of England.
The Bishop of Dover, the Rt Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin, will tackle responsibility for duties within the diocese of Canterbury — a lot of which already fall to the Bishop in recognition of the Archbishop’s extensive duties outside of the diocese.
Also on Wednesday, a spokesperson confirmed that Archbishop Welby wouldn’t be collaborating in Advent or Christmas services at Canterbury Cathedral, before he relinquishes his post at Epiphany.
The spokesperson said that Archbishop Welby could be spending Christmas along with his family, and reiterated that he “intends little or no public-facing activity between now and Epiphany” (News, 22 November).
The BBC Christmas schedule was announced last week, irrespective of the Archbishop (News, 26 November). In previous years, the BBC has broadcast his Christmas Day sermon from Canterbury Cathedral, and a pre-recorded message on New Year’s Day.
In November, Archbishop Welby announced his intention to resign, after the discharge of the Makin report into abuse perpetuated by John Smyth (News, 15 November).
