The new Archbishop of Canterbury is expected to be revealed on Friday, nearly a year on from Justin Welby’s resignation. Welby resigned from the role in November 2024 over his failure to report prolific child abuser John Smyth.
The world-renowned role is seen as the spiritual leader of the Anglican church, and they also have a seat in the House of Lords. They are appointed by His Majesty, The King, as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, on the recommendation of the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC).
Upon the resignation of an Archbishop of Canterbury, a Crown Nominations Commission is established to identify and submit the name of a preferred candidate to the Prime Minister, who is constitutionally responsible for advising the King on the appointment.
Once King Charles approves the chosen candidate, the Prime Minister’s office will announce the name of the Archbishop-designate.
Currently, two women are among the favourites to lead the Church of England and become the symbolic figurehead for 85 million Anglicans worldwide.
Reuters reports leading contenders include Bishop Rachel Treweek, the CoE’s first-ever female diocesan bishop, and Iranian-born Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani, who came to Britain as a refugee with her parents following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Unlike the Catholic Church, which elected Pope Leo just 17 days after Francis’ death, the CoE has taken nearly a year to make its decision due to a complex vetting process.
Jonathan Evans, a former head of the MI5 spy agency who was chosen by the government to lead the 20-strong selection commission, said in July he wanted to avoid a list of candidates where all were “white, Oxbridge, male and come from the southeast of England”.
The commission comprised 17 voting members, including five representatives from the global Anglican Communion, three from Canterbury, and six from the CoE’s governing body.
