ARCHBISHOP Welby has “decided to resign as Archbishop of Canterbury”; but he remains in office, for now, and it is not yet clear when exactly he will leave.

He said in his resignation statement: “It is my duty to honour my Constitutional and church responsibilities, so exact timings will be decided once a review of necessary obligations has been completed, including those in England and in the Anglican Communion.”

When contacted for more details, Lambeth Palace referred back to the Archbishop’s statement, and reiterated that the precise timings of his departure would be made in due course.

The selection of the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury is by the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC). There will be 17 voting members: three representatives from the Canterbury diocese; six members of the General Synod; the Archbishop of York; another bishop elected by the House of Bishops; and, in a change since 2012, five representatives of the global Anglican Communion. The final voting member is the CNC chair, often a public figure, who must be a communicant C of E member, and is appointed by the Prime Minister.

The CNC will be completed by three non-voting members: the archbishops’ secretary for appointments, one of the most influential positions in the CofE, currently held by Stephen Knott; the Prime Minister’s secretary for appointments, Jonathan Hellewell; and the secretary-general of the Anglican Communion, the Rt Revd Anthony Poggo.

The successful candidate must win the support of two thirds of the CNC, which makes a recommendation to the Crown.

Should Archbishop Welby leave office before the CNC nominates a successor, the Archbishop of York will take on his responsibilities within the Church of England for an interim period. Until the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury is in post, the provinces of the Anglican Communion will be without a spiritual leader.