What is needed in the new Archbishop of Canterbury
The qualities needed in a new Archbishop of Canterbury
The Church of England has never been in a weaker position, divided on the question of same-sex relations and set in a culture in which only 45.2 % of the population identify as Christian, few of these being Anglican churchgoers. Yet after decades of disparagement and indifference there are now a few signs that people might once again give serious attention to Christian belief. The new Archbishop will have a real opportunity to give voice to that faith
First and foremost they will need to be a person deeply rooted in the life of prayer. This may sound rather dull to outsiders but those in the church know that without this everything they do would be hollow. Moreover, without a grounded spiritual life they simply would not be able to cope with the demands of the job.
Then they need to be at home in their own skin. This will manifest itself by not taking themselves too seriously, and a certain capacity for self-mockery, as was the case with Robert Runcie and the grossly unfairly treated Justin Welby.
Being Archbishop is a job with at least three major roles. It means being able to speak to the nation as a whole or at least to such of the general public who will listen. It means being able to give a clear lead to the Church of England and means being able to hold the already fractured Anglican Communion together.
In order to speak to the nation as a whole they need not be a good theologian like Michael Ramsey or a public intellectual like Rowan Williams but they must be able to speak simply and convincingly to a wide general public about the faith. The last Archbishop who was really able to do that was probably William Temple who died in 1944 when as a result of the seriousness brought about by World War II the culture was much more receptive to the words of a religious leader.
In order to give a lead to the Church of England and hold the Anglican Communion together they need to be a person who can be trusted by all sides on the contentious issues which divide us. This is not enough in itself but without it there is no way forward.
The new Archbishop must also be able to speak on public issues in a way that is morally compelling even if they arouse the anger of the government of the day or some of the public. The issues they speak on should be few and significant. Geoffrey Fisher did this over the Suez crisis in 1956 asking 8 times in the House of Lords ‘Who then was the aggressor?’ Michael Ramsey did it when Rhodesia declared itself unilaterally independent and Robert Runcie aroused opposition when he insisted the service after the Falklands war should not be triumphalist but have elements of penitence, reconciliation and prayers for the dead of both sides.
The next Archbishop will be the eighth one I have known. The last seven have all brought something distinctive to the role as will the next. But it is a killing job and means living with the constant strain of what the press might say about them next. I used to tease Rowan Williams and say ‘God has given you every possible gift under the sun-and as your punishment he has made you Archbishop of Canterbury’. Nevertheless George and Eileen Carey when they came to Lambeth decided that they would enjoy the job. I hope the new Archbishop will take a similar attitude.
Richard Harries, a former Bishop of |Oxfords, writes about the seven Archbishops in his autobiography The Shaping of a Soul: a life taken by surprise.The qualities needed in a new Archbishop of Canterbury