Page 20 - The Portal Magazine - December 2024

THE P RTAL December 2024 Page 20

Our window on the CofE

The Welby Affair

Fr Paul Benfield

N THURSDAY 7th November I was in Lambeth Palace for a meeting of the central members of
Othe Crown Nominations Commission (“CNC”) These are the clergy and laity elected by General Synod
to serve on Commissions to nominate a bishop to a vacant diocesan see and these meetings take place twice
a year. At them we do not consider any particular see or any possible candidates but discuss our procedure
and how it might be made better by obtaining different information or asking different types of questions of
candidates and so on.

The morning meeting was attended by the my duty to honour my constitutional and church
Archbishops’ Appointments Secretary and the Prime responsibilities, so exact timings will be decided once
Minister’s Appointments Secretary, the Archbishops a review of necessary obligations has been completed,
not being due until later. including those in England and in the Anglican
Communion”. I do not know what the constitutional
We descended to the crypt chapel for the Eucharist duties he referred to are and it is difficult to know what
and found that the Archbishop of York was to preside. church responsibilities are “necessary obligations”
This is not unknown, even in Lambeth Palace, as for a disgraced archbishop other than signing a
sometimes the Archbishop of Canterbury has to attend few documents to ensure the continuation of his
to urgent matters of Church or state, though he does archiepiscopal duties. A diocesan bishop told me that
almost always attend. When he did not appear at lunch the Archbishop should just go away quietly.
we began to wonder what was going on.
However, speculation grew that the Archbishop was
At the afternoon meeting Archbishop Stephen intending to carry on even - according to one report I
explained that the Makin Report on the abuse received - until July. He was not embarrassed to be seen
carried out by John Smyth QC had been leaked and in public and attended the Trustees Annual Dinner
that Archbishop Justin Welby was preparing for an at the British Museum on Wednesday, as reported
interview with Channel 4 News. The Report criticised critically by the Editor of Private Eye in his column.
Archbishop Justin for failing to deal adequately with
that safeguarding matter. In the interview he said that On 20th November (8 days after he said he
he had considered resigning but having taken advice would resign) Lambeth Palace announced that the
from ‘senior colleagues’ had decided not to. Archbishop intends to complete his official duties on
the Feast of the Epiphany (6th January 2025) when his
Over the weekend I considered my position as a official functions will be delegated to the Archbishop
member of the CNC and wrote to various senior of York.
people saying that I thought it would be difficult if not
impossible for me to serve, with integrity, on a CNC It said he ‘intends very little public facing activity
on which Archbishop Justin was serving, given that we between now and Epiphany, but plans to honour
ask questions about safeguarding. a small number of remaining commitments.’ The
BBC has announced that he will not give a New Year
Private emails and social media were very busy over message.
the weekend and a petition was launched calling for
the Archbishop to resign. On Monday he again said Bulletin on Divine Worship
that he would not resign and the Bishop of Newcastle A quarterly publication for our clergy
publicly said that he should. What other bishops were and those interested in liturgy.
doing or saying I do not know. It is intended to help, guide and plan
the liturgical life of Ordinariate parishes
On Tuesday, while travelling to London for a and communities.
Synod Revision Committee, I received information
that an announcement would be made at 2pm. This You will find it at
said that he had decided to resign but went on “It is www.ordinariate.org.uk > NEWS > Bulletin