The Church of England has been hit by a crisis regarding the selection of candidates for the most important positions. An urgent meeting was convened by the House of Bishops in response to a letter signed by 13 bishops addressing an apparent breakdown in the Crown Nominations Commission. However, changes planned to address the issue will likely prompt a fresh ideological row within the Church.
The controversy stemmed from the failure of the appointment committee to agree in two recent cases, leaving key positions unfilled. Sources have suggested that this follows a schism caused by differing opinions on same-sex unions, with some commission members understood to have been unwilling to appoint individuals whose views differed from their own.
The commission is responsible for recommending a replacement for vacant bishop or archbishop positions. Leaks from the typically confidential process appear to indicate that the key problem has been the transport of intransigence on issues related to same-sex couples. Critics note that similar problems may arise if the commission is in charge of selecting the next Archbishop of Canterbury, a role that will become vacant in early 2026.
The elephant in the room appears to be divisions within the Church over gender and sexuality issues. A number of conservative bishops within the selection panel are opposed to both same-sex unions and women bishops. The emergency meeting of the House of Bishops focused purely on procedural solutions to the current crisis, including proposed measures such as allowing the presiding archbishop on the panel an extra vote if there is deadlock.
However, reaction to the new measures has proved divisive, with a 27-9 split suggesting that the Church continues to be deeply divided on such key issues. Opponents of the selection panel changes suggest that the new measures risk looking like a power-grab by the archbishops and may be perceived as being undemocratic. The new measures still require ratification by the Church’s General Synod, where deep divisions are expected to be exposed more plainly
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