THE Archbishop of Canterbury, whose official duties end at midnight, is to spend his last day in office privately at Lambeth Palace, a spokesperson confirmed.
In the chapel this evening, he’ll lay down his bishop’s crozier, marking the tip of his ministry as Archbishop of Canterbury.
Archbishop Welby resigned in November in response to Keith Makin’s report on John Smyth (News, 11 November). In an announcement on the time, he said that resigning was “in one of the best interests of the Church of England”. Lambeth Palace later confirmed that the Archbishop would complete his official duties by Epiphany.
A spokesperson said on Monday morning that the Archbishop could be “spending the day privately” on the Palace, with morning prayer, a lunchtime eucharist within the chapel, and evensong at the tip of the day.
During evensong, “he’ll lay down his bishop’s crozier (pastoral staff) on the altar, marking the tip of his ministry as Archbishop of Canterbury. This symbolic act is performed by bishops on leaving office. Justin Welby will legally stop to be Archbishop of Canterbury at midnight that day.
“After sixth January, Archbishop Justin’s crozier will likely be taken to Canterbury Cathedral, where a member of the Cathedral team will lay it on the altar in a brief private service.”
Archbishop Welby has already signed an instrument of delegation, handing over his official functions mainly to the Archbishop of York, some to the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Sarah Mullally, and his diocesan functions to the Bishop of Dover, the Rt Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin, from Tuesday. Until the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury is in post, the provinces of the Anglican Communion will likely be without one in all its 4 Instruments of Communion.
Archbishop Welby wouldn’t “immediately or routinely” be granted Permission to Officiate (PTO), the Palace spokesperson said. This could be decided, as with all priests searching for PTO, “following a period of discernment” along with the relevant diocesan bishop.
The collection of the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury is by the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC). There will likely be 17 voting members: three representatives from the Canterbury diocese; six members of the General Synod; the Archbishop of York; one other bishop elected by the House of Bishops; and, in a change since 2012, five representatives of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The final voting member is the CNC chair, Lord Evans of Weardale, a former director-general of MI5 and a cross-bencher within the House of Lords, who was appointed by the Prime Minister last month (News 20 December 2024).
The CNC will likely be accomplished by three non-voting members: the archbishops’ secretary for appointments, probably the most influential positions within the CofE, currently held by Stephen Knott; the Prime Minister’s secretary for appointments, Jonathan Hellewell; and the secretary-general of the Anglican Communion, the Rt Revd Anthony Poggo.
The successful candidate must win the support of two thirds of the CNC, which makes a advice to the Crown.
