Church 'Losing Trust' Over 'Cloak and Dagger' Archbishop of Canterbury Selection

The Daily Telegraph (UK) ^ | 10/31/12 | John Bingham

[marshmallow]

The Church of England is in danger of losing the trust of millions of worshippers because of “ridiculous” secrecy over the choice of the next Archbishop of Canterbury, clergy have warned.

The committee choosing the next leader of the world’s 77 million Anglicans is facing growing discontent from within the Church amid clams that the long-running process has become a “cloak and dagger” procedure.

Calls are mounting for an overhaul of the system and even growing support for future Archbishops in the Church of England to be elected.

It came as even the ancient Coptic Orthodox Church, based in Egypt- which chooses its spiritual leader in a ceremony involving a blindfolded child – announced not only the date for the selection of its new Pope but even the shortlist.

The church, which traces its origins to the 1st Century AD, posted details of the process which will take place next week, on the internet.

By contrast, the Crown Nominations Commission, the 16-member body selecting a successor to Dr Rowan Williams, initiated an effective news blackout last month refusing to say when and if it is meeting or even whether it has made a decision.

The first that the world’s 77 million Anglicans are expected to know of the identity of their new leader will be when the name is announced from Downing Street.

The 16-member body, made up of bishops, priests and lay members has been meeting since the summer to “discern” who should lead the Church of England after Dr Williams steps down at the end of the year.

[OldNavyVet]

Draw straws, let God decide.

[Da Coyote]

The COE is, I'm afraid, long past dead. Given the joke they foisted upon the UK populace this last time, who gives a smelly Obama?

The same thing is happening here to most of our churches.

The Catholics just may tweak by...at least the Obamadork/felon has forced the bishops to wake up.

Now, if we could only level our catholic colleges and start again from the ground up, we'd be getting somewhere.

[MasterGunner01]

Well, the CoE could be preparing to appoint an Archbishop that's as bad (or worse) as the last one, Dr. Rowan Williams, and with the same results. [I never thought of Williams as other than the Chief Druid who happened to be in the CoE.] The CoE has a cancer and it is Stage 4, Terminal.