A SHORTLIST of candidates for the next Archbishop of Canterbury has been agreed by the Canterbury Crown Nominations Commission (CNC), but the names of those being considered have not been made public.

In an interview last month, the chair of the CNC, Lord Evans, said that he preferred the term “confidentiality” to “secrecy” when talking about way in which the CNC operates, and said that it would help the commission “reach the right point” (News, 4 July).

Lord Evans, who is a former head of MI5 and a crossbench peer in the House of Lords, described the process as one of “discernment” rather than straightforward “selection”.

The CNC has held two of its scheduled three meetings, since convening at the end of May. A final meeting will be held towards the end of September. If the CNC can achieve the two-thirds majority required for a nomination, that name will probably be made public in early October.

The CNC has 17 voting members. The Archbishop of Canterbury’s and the Prime Minister’s appointments secretaries also attend the meetings, as does the secretary-general of the Anglican Communion, the Rt Revd Anthony Poggo.

In addition to Lord Evans, the voting members are: the Archbishop of York and the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, representing the Northern and Southern Provinces; six members elected from the General Synod; five from the Anglican Communion; and three from the diocese of Canterbury.