THE P
RTAL
In England and in Wales
May 2017 Page 11 Anglican News
The Revd Paul Benfield on Bishop Philip North in England and Dr Jeffrey John in Wales
Last month I wrote about the nomination of Bishop Philip North , Bishop of Burnley , as Bishop of Sheffield and his subsequent decision to withdraw his acceptance of the nomination . On the 24th March the Archbishops of Canterbury and York issued the following joint statement
“ The recent events surrounding the nomination of Bishop Philip North as Bishop of Sheffield , including his withdrawal from the process , have understandably raised great concern amongst many in the Church of England . The status of the House of Bishops Declaration of June 2014 has been questioned by some and its meaning has also been challenged .
“ We have therefore written to Sir Philip Mawer , the Independent Reviewer under the Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests , ( Resolution of Disputes Procedure Regulations ) 2014 , to address the concerns that have arisen in the Church following these recent events . We attach our letter to Sir Philip , in which we reaffirm clearly our commitment , and the commitment of the House of Bishops , to its Declaration , to the principles contained in it , and to the overriding principle of mutual flourishing .”
In their letter the Archbishops ask Sir Philip to consider and report on the operation of the Declaration from the point of view of :
( a ) what has been done in the Church , including in the diocese of Sheffield , to inform and educate clergy and laity about the settlement agreed in 2014 , and the effect of the Declaration within that settlement ;
( b ) the process leading to the nomination of Bishop Philip North to the See of Sheffield ;
( c ) the consistency of that nomination with the Declaration ;
( d ) the reactions to that nomination in the Church and beyond ;
( e ) the response of the institutional Church to the nomination and the reactions to it .
Sir Philip has started work on his inquiry and has written to interested parties to gather information .
Meanwhile , it was announced on 7th April that the Very Reverend Peter Wilcox , Dean of Liverpool , had accepted the nomination to the See of Sheffield . His will have been the second name approved by the Crown Nominations Commission , which chose
Bishop North as its first choice . Once Bishop North had withdrawn his acceptance , the Prime Minister will have forwarded Dean Wilcox ’ s name to the Queen for approval . Had he declined the nomination the Crown Nominations Commission would have had to meet again to provide more names .
After a period of leave , Bishop Philip North returned to work in the Diocese of Blackburn on Palm Sunday , presiding at the Chrism Mass for traditionalists held at St Stephen on the Cliffs , Blackpool . He was welcomed back by the Bishop of Blackburn and greeted with a standing ovation .
There has also been controversy over the appointment process for the Bishop of Llandaff in the Church in Wales , following the retirement of Dr Barry Morgan . The Electoral College met for three days as required by the constitution , but no candidate achieved the necessary two thirds majority . Although the proceedings are supposed to be confidential , it has emerged that one of the candidates considered was Dr Jeffrey John , Dean of St Albans . He has alleged that he was not appointed because of his homosexuality and because he is in a civil partnership .
A statement issued by the Church said ‘ Neither homosexuality nor participation in a civil partnership are a bar to any candidate being either nominated or elected as a Bishop in the Church in Wales . Moreover , this was made clear to members of the Electoral College by its President , the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon ’.
Three complaints were submitted about the election and appointment process , but the Church ’ s Legal Subcommittee has ruled that they are all without merit . The constitution provides that in the event of the failure to appoint by the electoral college the appointment is made by the other five diocesan bishops . The bishops have said that they will not consider candidates considered by the electoral college .