The Cathedral can hold only 2,000 people for the Service and there have been many discussions about whom to invite. Bishops and Archbishops from the world wide Anglican Communion will attend as will the leaders of many churches in Britain and representatives of Jewish, Moslem, Hindu, Sikhs, Jain and Buddhist faiths, along with a senior member of the Royal Family, the Prime Minister and leading politicians. In addition, ballots have been held, so that members of the regular congregation, volunteers, and staff have a chance to attend the big day.
Hmmm…..They invited the Presiding Bishop (the Presiding Heretic) of The Episcopal Church, but couldn’t be bothered to invite ++Robert Duncan, the Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in North America or any of our faithful bishops? Not to mention Muslim leaders……[Edited by Elf] Should be quite a Dog and Pony Show.
They need for Schori to wear her oven mittre to provide an option for headgear commentary by the observers. If she’s allowed to be a “bishop”!
[blockquote] “The process to elect the next Archbishop by the Cathedral community goes back over a thousand years and is enshrined within the Cathedral’s constitution.” [/blockquote]
That is all well and good, an ancient tradition that should be followed. It will result in acceptance by the Cathedral Chapter of a choice already made by the Crown Nominations Commission.
The defects lie in the process followed before this by the Crown Nominations Commission:
*Firstly, the Archbishop of Canterbury purports to be leader of the Anglican Communion, yet nobody outside of a single province (England) had any say in the choice. It is true that a single Primate was selected to represent the other Primates in the Communion (on a non-voting basis) yet even this supposed broader representation was turned into farce – ++Morgan of Wales was chosen, a man known to be out of step with most of his fellow primates, but closely aligned with the English church.
*Secondly, the Archbishop of Canterbury purports to lead the entirety of the Church of England, and yet 6 of the 16 positions on the CNC were reserved for representatives from a single diocese (Canterbury).
Embarrassingly, the Roman Catholic Church has just demonstrated that it is far ahead of the Anglican Church, with the Pope chosen by a conclave of Elector Cardinals drawn from all over the Roman Catholic world, on a one cardinal/one vote basis.
The RCC method was much quicker and more efficient too!
And much better. The Archbishop of the ACNA is selected in much the same manner.
I see they are keen to associate it with the St. Benedict of Nursia remembrance from 1662, rather than the more obvious anniversary of the martyrdom of Thomas Cranmer. Probably wise.