Justin Welby will relinquish his role as archbishop of Canterbury at midnight on Monday, formally starting the firing gun in the search for a new de facto leader of the Church of England and the global Anglican church.
The process is expected to take months, with the name of the new archbishop unlikely to be announced until the autumn.
Welby quit over failures to take effective action against a sadistic serial abuser. An independent review concluded that John Smyth, an eminent barrister and Christian camp leader who abused as many as 130 boys and young men over five decades, might have been brought to justice had Welby formally reported him to police in 2013.
The unprecedented resignation of the most senior cleric in the C of E has plunged the church into a crisis, with no clear path to restoring trust and confidence in its leadership. Since Welby announced his resignation on 12 November, there have been repeated calls for Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York, who will take over Welby’s duties in the interim, to stand down over a separate abuse case.
Welby has kept a low profile since announcing his resignation, and did not give the traditional Christmas Day sermon from Canterbury Cathedral.
He is expected to spend Monday privately at his London headquarters, Lambeth Palace, attending a lunchtime Eucharist and later a service of Evensong. During the latter, he will lay down his bishop’s crozier – a ceremonial long staff – in a symbolic act that marks the official end of his ministry as archbishop of Canterbury.
His successor will be chosen in an opaque process led by the UK’s former spy chief, Lord Evans of Weardale. Members of the public will be permitted to submit names to the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC), but potential candidates will not be able to nominate themselves. Instead they will be “invited in” to the process after a “careful period of reflections and discernment” by the commission, according to a well-placed source.
Candidates for the de facto leader of the C of E and of the global Anglican church are likely to be drawn from people already holding “significant leadership roles” in the church, said the source.
The CNC will comprise 17 voting members and three non-voting participants. For the first time, five members will be drawn from the global church, which is generally more conservative than the C of E. The names of all 17 will be announced in March.
The group is expected to meet at least three times between spring and autumn before voting in a secret ballot. The successful candidate must secure two-thirds of the votes. He or she will ultimately be appointed by King Charles.
In the past year, the CNC has been unable to reach a two-thirds majority in two recent cases concerning the appointment of bishops, reflecting divisions within the church.
In November, Welby said he was stepping down “in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse”. But later he made a jocular speech about his resignation in the House of Lords, described by one abuse survivor as “tone deaf”. Welby subsequently apologised.
Last month, the Children’s Society rejected a Christmas donation from Welby saying that accepting it “would not be consistent with the principles and values that underpin our work”.
From Tuesday, most of the official functions normally held by the archbishop of Canterbury will be delegated to Cottrell, with some being undertaken by Sarah Mullally, the bishop of London.
Cottrell has been accused of failing to take action against a priest accused repeatedly of sexual misconduct and abuse. He has rejected calls for his resignation, saying he would work to implement independent scrutiny of safeguarding in the C of E.
