THE Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, has been elected by the House of Bishops to be the Canterbury Province’s episcopal member of the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) that will nominate the next Archbishop of Canterbury, it was announced on Wednesday.
As a member of the CNC, Bishop Usher will himself be out of the running.
“Despite speculation in recent months, I have felt no sense of inner calling to be Archbishop of Canterbury,” he said on Wednesday afternoon.
“What has remained constant is God’s continued faithful call to serve the people and parishes of the wonderful diocese of Norwich, as well as the national and international environmental roles I have, all of which bring me much joy.”
Bishop Usher said that to have been elected onto the CNC was a “weighty privilege”. “I will need to listen very carefully to the hopes and joys, challenges and fears, of the diocese of Canterbury, the wider Church of England, to the results of the current consultation, to ecumenical companions, to people across the Anglican Communion, and to the candidates themselves,” he said.
“I really want to hear from the young, the marginalised, the excluded, the silenced, the quieter voices, and especially local parishioners. Then, I pray, God’s still, small voice will be heard.
“Whoever becomes the next Archbishop of Canterbury will need to know, more than anything, that she or he can only undertake this role with the grace and comfort of Almighty God. I am praying that God calls a humble follower of Jesus who draws others to the abundant joy of Gospel life, a pastor and shepherd, and a gentle prophet for our time.”
The Archbishop of York will also sit on the CNC. Had he chosen not to, another bishop from the Province of York would have been elected to take his place.
The remaining membership of the CNC — including representatives of the diocese of Canterbury and the Anglican Communion — would be announced in early April, a Church House spokesperson said.
It is expected that the CNC will convene for its first meeting in May, and that at least two further meetings will take place in July and September. It is hoped that a new Archbishop of Canterbury will be announced in autumn.