Monday marks Justin Welby’s last day as Archbishop of Canterbury. Welby, who resigned as the result of the Church’s handling of sexual abuse cases, will spend his final day privately at Lambeth Palace in London. His duties will pass to Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, until a new successor is appointed, a process that could take several months.
Welby will attend two services at Lambeth Palace on Monday, the Epiphany, one at lunchtime and one in the evening. He will lay down his crozier at the evening service and formally resign at midnight.
Cottrell will assume most of Welby’s responsibilities, but some will be carried out by the Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, in London, and the Bishop of Dover, Rose Hudson-Wilkin, in Canterbury diocese. Cottrell has faced calls to resign over his handling of an abuse case in which he was told about multiple historical sex abuse allegations against a priest he was in charge of, but the priest was allowed to continue in his posts.
Welby’s resignation comes at a tumultuous time for the Church of England, with issues like the blessings of same-sex unions, racial justice, and climate action all causing division within the Church. While some support the blessings, others believe it goes against fundamental Church teaching.
The search for Welby’s successor hasn’t been formalized yet, but the 17-member panel that will select the next Archbishop of Canterbury will include five members based in the Anglican Church abroad, for the first time. Cottrell is expected to be the de facto leader of the Church until at least the summer
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