The Bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev Justin Welby has 562 followers; the Bishop of
Bradford, the Rt Rev Nick Baines, has 3,953; and the early front-runner for
the job, the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, has 21,558.
One of Dr Sentamu’s most recent posts was to point out that the flag above his
palace, Bishopthorne, was being flown at half-mast “to remember our brave
soldiers killed in Afghanistan”.
Meanwhile, the latest attempt by Dr Williams to heal divisions within the
worldwide Anglican Communion was effectively killed off yesterday.
The Anglican Covenant was intended to stop national churches breaking away
without seeking agreement from the wider Communion. It would have halted the
appointment of openly homosexual clergy as bishops.
The Covenant is being considered around the world, but in this country it
required the backing of a majority of diocesan synods before it could go to
the Church of England’s governing body for approval. As of votes taken
yesterday, 23 of the 44 synods had rejected it.
Opponents of the Covenant have described it as a “witch-hunt” against the US
and Canadian churches, which have adopted liberal positions on sexuality.
They say it would create a central authority that would punish churches for
stepping out of line – an argument Dr Williams described earlier this month
as “completely misleading and false”.
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