Updated Friday
The Bishop of Chichester, The Right Reverend Dr John Hind, announced today that he will retire at the end of April 2012.
The diocesan website has this announcement and this background information.
There is an error in the section of the diocesan announcement about how diocesan bishops are appointed. The Crown Nominations Commission now sends only one name to the Prime Minister. Correction: I am advised that the CNC does still send two names to the PM. But my understanding is that they are now always put in order of preference and that the PM has agreed to always pick the first choice. The other name is there in case the first choice declines.
I served on his group reviewing the Structure and Funding of Ordination Training which reported in 2003; we weren’t much loved for what we came up with, but much of the current thinking (the need to collaborate better regionally and for there to be more flexible pathways to ordination) stems from that work. Fascinating time for the See of Chichester to become vacant. The next bishop must ordain women (you heard it first here!).
Now this is interesting and perhaps an opportunity. What chance of a bishop who will reflect the realities of the Church rather than those of an entrenched and embattled minority.
“The Crown Nominations Commission now sends only one name to the Prime Minister.”
…which he should veto.
I hope the next Bishop of Chichester is as devoted to the Gospel and God’s church. For the record, the current Bishop does ordain women – to the diaconate!!!
Time to nominate Jeffrey John again I think!
Tina raises an interesting point.
To what extent does the policy announced by the House of Bishops control the Crown Nominations Commission?
For example, how many votes do bishops on the CNC have, as opposed to other commissioners, who might consider themselves free to disregard the House’s announcement?
Tina:
If the CNC for Southwark did not have such courage, then what chance the CNC for Chichester? There are many ‘Affirming Catholic’ parishes in the diocese that would rejoice at such an appointment but their affirming voices will be drowned by those of clergy whom the Bishop of Lewes has nurtured in East Sussex.
Oh my, another day another tantrum. BUT WAIT, ¨wouldn´t it be loverly¨ if another gayman ¨passed¨ for ¨hetero¨ and snuck right into the HOB´s ranks and joined his mellow fellows? BETTER YET, a partnered Lesbian who passes for ¨male¨…heck, it´s sooo hard to keep ducking Gods people and sorting out Gods many interesting versions of authentic Christians…one would think Dr. Williams would be tired and simply interview suitable candidates on the basis of true personal character, stewardship, leadership skills, mistry/work history, ¨calling¨ and plain olde genuine INTEGRITY. MAYBE LATER, let´s think about reality some more and have a good long… Read more »
Gay clergy in the diocese of Chichester, Tina?
Quite so, Tina. I think that the Dean of St. Albans would be a perfect choice for the diocese of Chichester. After all there has been quite a trend recently in preferring deans to the episcopate – Rochester to Stepney, Exeter to Lynn and, most significantly – Liverpool to Durham.
Go on – you know it makes sense.
I rather thought the next round of episcopal appointments would begin after the vote on women bishops in July 2012. I suppose the diocese will now be vacant when the vote takes place.How likely that it is again filled by someone who doesnt ordain women priests ,I wonder? How much has changed in the last 11 years or have clergy opposed to womens ordination moved into the diocese to “firm things up” Any comments from a Chichester observer?
No, JJ should steer well-clear until women are in charge there.
Even more interesting when you consider that Wallace Benn, Bishop of Lewes, is going in August 2012. Something of a clear out in the Diocese. Who will join me in carrying a ‘Jeffrey John for Chichester’ banner at Brighton Pride?
This may be an awfully un-PC thing to say, but I think the next Bp of Chichester should be a married woman!
Perry. There were some 40 people ordained a week or two ago. I don’t know the exact numbers but looking at the picture on the Diocese website it does seem as if some half of these are women. There are a fairly large number of women in post as incumbent as well as assistant priest posts in the diocese, at least judging by the parishes which are prayed for day by day in the Cathedral and who come with their congregations. My feeling is that the diocese is less of a no=go area for women than it used to be.… Read more »
“Correction: I am advised that the CNC does still send two names to the PM. But my understanding is that they are now always put in order of preference and that the PM has agreed to always pick the first choice. The other name is there in case the first choice declines.”
They should revert to the former practice to let the PM choose between two. As we’ve learnt from Southwark CNC, the first choice offered is not always the one favoured by the Diocese.
To answer Jeremy and clarify the procedure (which though still arcane is actually rather more transparent than it was), each member of the CNC has one vote, archbishop, clergy or lay. The ongoing requirement to produce two names is simply a prudential measure: the preferred finalist candidate might not accept (it has happened) or some other crisis might mean the second candidate needs to be brought into the frame. However, the constitutional position has not changed. Appointments to diocesan sees remain Crown appointments. What has changed is that the new ‘convention’ is that Downing Street will accept the first name… Read more »
Much as I’d like to see JJ as Bishop, I think the poor man has suffered enough and should not have to be forced through that appalling process again, certainly not until there’s a genuine chance that he will succeed and not just end up a pawn in an awful political game.
Isn’t it about time we reverted to the old pre-Callaghan system of appointing bishops i.e. where the Prime Minister of the day after making soundings nominates a candidate to the Crown? If this were the case surely the present Prime Minister with his declared support for equality would ensure that the obvious talents of Jeffrey John no longer languished in a Deanery but shone forth from an episcopal palace.
Will the bishop do a Tony Blair I wonder?
Is there any good way to chose a bishop?
I can’t recall the exact wording of the exchange in the episode “The Bishops Gambit” from the TV series, “Yes, Prime Minister” but the PM asks why the C of E doesn’t use the method of drawing lots (as in the Book of Acts”) & is told, “We’re not sure that the Holy Spirit knows the qualities needed in a Church of England bishop.”
Let’s try again: If there are 14 votes on the CNC, how many of them are held by bishops or archbishops?
Why should non-bishop members of the CNC feel themselves bound by an House of Bishops vote in which they themselves could not take part?
(Perhaps I underestimate the extent to which the English laity defer to bishops.)
The CNC has eight central members: the two archbishops, three clergy (not bishops) and three laity. If an archbishop is unable to take part then he is replaced by another bishop.
The vacancy-in-see committee of the diocese elects six members to the CNC. It is possible for one of these to be an area or suffragan bishop.
So the number of bishops on the CNC is normally two, but it could, at most, be three.