From The New York Times-Church of England officials met in secret on Wednesday to choose the next archbishop of Canterbury, a centuries-old task that now comes with the modern concern of preventing 80 million Anglicans worldwide from splitting over same-sex marriage and the ordination of women as bishops.
The departing liberal archbishop, the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, 62, has said his successor will need “the hide of a rhinoceros and the constitution of an ox.” The 105th leader of the Anglican Communion will face a long-term decline in church attendance and divisions between modernists and traditionalists.
Those seen as likely candidates are the bishop of Durham, England, Justin Welby, 56, a former oil executive who trained as a priest after the death of his infant daughter in a car crash, and the archbishop of York, England, John Sentamu, 63, a Ugandan-born traditionalist.
Among the other possibilities is the bishop of Coventry, England, Christopher Cocksworth, 53, a father of five who is popular among more liberal members of the church.
Many traditionalists favor the bishop of London, Richard Chartres, 65, who opposed Anglican blessings of “civil partnerships” that give same-sex couples legal recognition.
The arcane selection process is wrapped in layers of protocol, with roots going back 1,400 years.
More here-
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/27/world/europe/anglicans-meet-to-pick-new-leader.html
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