Today, this press release was issued: Bishop of Llandaff – appointment process
The Church in Wales’ bishops will consult on candidates for the next Bishop of Llandaff before meeting on March 14-16.
They will consult with members of diocesan bodies who will be invited to suggest names for the bishops to consider at the meeting.
The See of Llandaff has been vacant since the retirement of Dr Barry Morgan, who was also Archbishop of Wales, at the end of January.
A full statement follows:
APPOINTMENT OF A BISHOP OF LLANDAFF
At a meeting of the Electoral College of the Church in Wales held from February 21st to 23rd, no candidate nominated received the necessary two-thirds of the votes cast to be declared Bishop-elect of the Diocese of Llandaff.
Under the provisions of the Constitution of the Church in Wales, the right to fill the vacancy has passed to the Bench of Bishops, and the Bishop of Swansea & Brecon, as the Senior Bishop and President of the Electoral College, has determined that there should be a process of consultation before names for possible appointment are considered. The consultation is intended to focus upon the ongoing and future needs of the Diocese of Llandaff and its communities and the needs of the wider church in the life of which a new Bishop will also have an important role. Those consulted will be invited to suggest names of individuals who might be considered suitable for appointment as Bishop of Llandaff, and names must be suggested in time for the next meeting of Bishops which begins on March 14th.
In the Diocese of Llandaff those being consulted are:
1. Members of the Electoral College
2. Members of the Diocesan Standing Committee
3. The Area DeansIn the remaining five Dioceses, Bishops are consulting:
1. The members of the Electoral College
2. Members of the Diocesan Standing CommitteeIn addition to those being directly consulted, others may send (brief) E-mails to their Diocesan Bishop (please send them to Bishop John for the Diocese of Llandaff).
When they meet, the Bishops will consider all the names suggested to them as potential candidates for appointment in the hope that a suitable candidate can be identified. Unlike the Electoral College process, there is no fixed timetable for an appointment process. However, the Bishops would wish to announce any appointment made as soon as all necessary formalities are finalised.
The Bishops continue to ask for the prayers of the church both for the Diocese of Llandaff and for their own work as they continue to discharge their responsibility for discerning the person whom they believe will serve not only the Diocese of Llandaff but also the wider church in the office of Bishop.
Please note that the Llandaff Diocesan Profile and Person Specification for Bishop of Llandaff, and a note on the provincial perspective, may be found at:
http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/resources/electoral-college/
Earlier today, a question was asked in the House of Commons about this election:
Chris Bryant (Rhondda) (Lab)
But discretion is not always good in the Church, is it? Jeffrey John, the Dean of St Albans, has been barred from becoming a bishop in the Church in Wales, which I know is separate from the Church of England, because the other bishops have refused to do what they have done in every other case—accept what the members of the local diocese have wanted.
Dame Caroline Spelman
I am not responsible for the Church of Wales—[Interruption]—because I am responsible for the Church of England. However, I appreciate the point the hon. Gentleman is trying to make. This is a really serious matter, and we should heed what the Archbishop of Canterbury, as the head of the Anglican communion, said about the need to have radical Christian inclusivity. The Church of England is working within the current legal and doctrinal context towards a culture change that is inclusive.
Dame Caroline Spelman (said): “I appreciate the point the hon. Gentleman is trying to make. This is a really serious matter, and we should heed what the Archbishop of Canterbury, as the head of the Anglican communion, said about the need to have radical Christian inclusivity. The Church of England is working within the current legal and doctrinal context towards a culture change that is inclusive.” My response to this is: “How long, O Lord. how long” – will it be before the Bishops of the Church of England live up to this statement. In other words; we should not… Read more »
Being myself half Welsh I take a bit of an interest in what goes on over the other side of Offa’s Dyke and was sorry to note that having been mercilessly rejected several times for the episcopate within the Church of England the Dean of St. Albans narrowly missed becoming the next Bishop of Llandaff. The decline in the Church in Wales is indeed a tragedy. It is good to note that the former curate of High Wycombe who is now the M.P. for Rhondda, having turned his back on the Established Church, is asking pertinent questions in the House… Read more »
The question in the Commons quoted comes at the end of several other questions: Mr Ben Bradshaw (Exeter) (Lab) 8. What discussions she has had with Church leaders on the vote by the General Synod to reject the bishops’ report on human sexuality; and if she will make a statement. [909032] Dame Caroline Spelman The majority of members of the General Synod voted to take note of the report of the House of Bishops, but the motion did not pass because a small majority was against it in the House of Clergy. Following that, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York… Read more »
“The Church of England is working within the current legal and doctrinal context towards a culture change that is inclusive.”
So . . . do not change the law or doctrine, but change the culture?
One wonders whether anything of importance will result….
I would like people to know that I have spoken to Caroline Spelman and complained about the association of my name with the phrase “the protection of children” as if there were some connection between them. She has apologised for saying what she did and assured me that she understands that there are no safeguarding issues of any kind involved in my case.
“It is hard to comment on the specific case [re Jeremy Pemberton]. It has come before the House before, but it is a legal process, which we normally do not comment on, although it has now reached its conclusion.” Dame Caroline Spelman
No, it hasn’t “reached its conclusion”. I am surprised that Caroline Spelman is not kept fully informed of the progress of the case by the Church of England’s legal department.
Pemberton is not allowed to “officiate” in the Diocese of Southwell “in the light of him having had a gay marriage…”
Of course, in virtually any diocese in the United States, Fr Pemberton could have been married in a nuptial mass celebrated by his bishop, entirely in accordance with the canons and discipline of the American church.
Jeremy
I am glad you contacted her.
Quite apart from being wrong treatment of you, the idea that an MP says bishops need flexibility when dealing with same sex marriage because of the “need to protect children” is chilling
Kate, I think Caroline Spelman was using the issue of the protection of children as an example of where bishops are given discretion to handle the matter in their own diocese, and she said that in response to Robert Jenrick’s allusion to the way episcopal discretion could create unfair variations between dioceses. I don’t think. anywhere, she said that bishops needed that flexibility when dealing with gay marriage issues *because* of the need to protect children. Albeit, placing a reference to the ‘protection of children’ anywhere near a reference to gay sexuality is I believe ill-advised, given the historic (and… Read more »
I did not notice that unfortunate proximity. Apologies to Jeremy Pemberton for posting a quote that can be read very much the wrong way.
As someone raised in the CinW I regard Jeffrey John as eminently suitable to be Bishop of Llandaff. He is a liberal Anglo Catholic, in tune with the ethos of the diocese. But not a campaigning liberal in the Morgan mould. After the latter, the CinW needs to rethink its strategy. The last thing needed in Llandaff is a woman.