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| Background to the Confirmation of Election service
The Confirmation of the Election of a bishop or an archbishop is the second part of a two-stage process under which bishops have been appointed in the Church for many centuries. The first part of the process is the Election by the College of Canons (in this case the Election took place in Canterbury on 8 November). Although as a matter of law in this country each of these steps is undertaken under the authority of the Crown, each can also be traced back at least as far as the Council of Nicea in 325AD.
The Election represents the choice of the bishop by the Diocese he will serve; the Confirmation of Election represents the affirmation of his Election by the wider Church. Most recent Confirmations of Election of Archbishops of Canterbury have taken place at St Paul’s Cathedral, though St Mary-le-Bow in Cheapside (the home of the Court of Arches, where the Vicar-General sits to confirm the elections of most diocesan bishops) has also been a venue. For example, the Confirmation of Election of Archbishop Carey took place there in 1991. On this occasion, there was no incumbent at St Mary-le-Bow at the time when the arrangements were being made and St Paul’s kindly made its facilities available.
The ceremony falls into two parts: there is an act of worship, which is followed by the more formal ceremony. This consists of a series of legal exchanges over which the Archbishop of York, accompanied by eight senior bishops of the Southern Province of the Church of England (the “Royal Commissioners”), presides.
Evidence is brought by the “Proctor” on behalf of the Dean and College of Canons of Canterbury Cathedral, to show that the Election on 8 November was conducted in accordance with the law; and Dr Rowan Williams was presented as Archbishop by his Advocate. He made the usual Oath of Allegiance to the Queen and Declaration of Assent to the historic formularies of the Church of England, required by all clergy of the Church of England on taking up a new appointment. At its conclusion, the Archbishop of York conferred upon him “the spiritualities” of the See of Canterbury. Archbishop Rowan Williams confirmed in office as Archbishop of Canterbury Background to the Election by the College of Canons The process of Election by the Cathedral community goes back over a thousand years and has sometimes been marked by conflict. Dr Williams will be enthroned in the Cathedral on the 27th February 2003. His nomination by Her Majesty The Queen to become Archbishop of Canterbury was announced in July 2002 . In the Middle Ages, the King, the Pope, bishops, barons and the monks of Canterbury Cathedral Priory all sought a part in choosing the Archbishop of Canterbury. Thus, the appointment of an Archbishop could prove a complex and contentious procedure! The monks had a role because the Archbishop was the titular abbot of the cathedral priory. Many disputes developed between these various interests. Perhaps the most dramatic of these was between King John and Rome over the appointment of Stephen Langton, archbishop from 1207 to 1228. After the death of his predecessor, Hubert Walter, in 1205, King John favoured John de Gray, bishop of Norwich. The cathedral monks, on the other hand, met secretly and elected Reginald, their sub-prior. When he heard of this, King John was infuriated, and forced them to elect his own candidate. The Pope reacted by quashing both candidates and by persuading the monks to elect his own choice, Stephen Langton, a distinguished theologian and cardinal. The King's representatives refused to ratify this election, but Langton was duly consecrated in 1207. King John refused to admit Langton to England. Thus began 6 years of dispute and diplomacy, during which the Pope imposed an interdict on the whole country, and the King forced the monks from the Priory into exile. The procedure for appointing an archbishop was revised somewhat as a result of this crisis, although there were some later - but less dramatic - occurrences of disputed elections. |
