TLIAW: Those Turbulent Priests: Redux

A brief trip up north in this update.
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Archbishop of York: Richard Harries: 1995 – 2006
When John Habgood retired as Archbishop of York in 1995, the Crown Nominations Commission decided that his replacement should be someone who could balance both the responsibilities of running the national Church (which Sheppard had allowed to fall by the way somewhat, preoccupied with his global and political responsibilities,) but who also reflected the current social-liberal bent of the Church. They found that replacement amongst the gleaming spires of Oxford.

Richard Harries had served in the army from 1955 – 1958 before training for ordination at Cuddesdon College. He had been appointed Bishop of Oxford in 1987 and had entered the House of Lords in 1993. But if anyone had hoped that Harries would be any less outspoken than his fellow Archbishop than they were going to be in a for a big surprise. In fact one of his first actions upon entering the House of Lords had been to bring legal proceedings against the Church Commissioners as he felt their investment policies placed far too much importance on purely financial matters and not enough emphasis on promoting the Christian faith.

The majority of Harries time in office was taken up with working behind the scenes to facility the ongoing work of the church. For example he worked with the various Dioceses to ensure disagreements were settled as the first round of women clergy began to be ordained and take on their own parishes, and he was of those often dispatched overseas to try and head off disagreements within the Communion that were beginning to bubble over and would cause problems for Sheppard’s successors at Canterbury.

However while this work was his main focus, Harries still found himself engaging in social issues. He was a regular voice on Thought for the Day, sat on Parliamentary committees regarding stem cell research and the reorganisation of the House of Lords and chaired a committee of his own on interfaith relations. His relationships with the UK’s Muslim leaders proved very helpful following President Bush’s decision to invade Iraq in 2003. Though the Government under Prime Minister Ken Clarke decided not to support initial military action, it did send forces to help with the rebuild.

When David Sheppard retired from Canterbury in 1997, several within the Church suggested that Harries would be a suitable replacement. However he chose not to go for it, stating that he felt he could do more good at home, and someone with more experience with him should take on the job of leading the Communion. Instead he remained at York until 2006, when he retired on his seventieth birthday and was replaced by the Bishop of Birmingham John Sentamu.
 
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Sideways

Donor
John Sentamu is probably archbishop of York in a surprising number of realities. He's too good not to be. I'm glad I got to hear one of his sermons when I lived there.

A fun update.
 

103: Robin Eames: 1997 – 2007

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Known by many as “Anglicanism’s Troubleshooter”, Robin Eames, Archbishop of Armagh was the first Archbishop of Canterbury from outside of England (though some argued that title belonged to Trevor Huddleston) and was exactly the man many believed the Church needed when David Sheppard retired in 1997.

Having given up his legal studies to be ordained in the Church in Ireland, Eames had been made a Bishop at the relatively young age of 38 before becoming the 103rd Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland in 1986 at the age of 49. It was during his time in Armagh that he developed his “Troubleshooter” nickname, taking on tasks that many others in the Communion did not want to touch. Among other things he chaired the Archbishops Committee on Communion and Women in the Episcopate (before Sheppard asked him to put the report in a drawer following the conflict of women priests) and he regularly travelled the globe as Sheppard’s firefighter in the rest of the Communion. So he was the obvious replacement when the See of Canterbury fell vacant in 1997.

While the Church of England was more popular nationally than it had been for years, thanks to the Archbishop being the poster boy for opposition to the Government, the Mother Church of the Anglican Communion was starting to become less than popular in the more traditionalist conservative parts of the Communion, especially in Africa, for rejecting doctrine in favour of social populism (though the Archbishop of Central Africa had reportedly said that he would still rather sit down with Lambeth than have anything to do with the Episcopal Church in the United States). Following a meeting of Conservative Primemates in 1996, (which is now recognised as Proto-GAFCON) a “Mission to the English” was begun with several African and Asian Bishops appearing at conferences and publishing books and articles urging their British brethren to “look back to our roots”. This was the situation Eames found himself faced with when he was enthroned in early 1998.

The majority of Eames time in office was spent working to hold to Anglican Communion together. This work was aided by the fact that he was already known to many of them, due to his work in previous years. He was recognised by the Communion as a patient leader, willing to listen and determined to do fairly by everyone. His work culminated in the 2002 Lambeth Conference which ended with the decision that if the conservative sections of the Communion agreed to stay, the Church of England would scale back its political work – though not stop completely – and serious discussions would be had with the Episcopal Church in the US, in an attempt to bring them back in line with everyone else. This seemed to please everyone, though a GAFCON grouping stayed within the church, and many believed that Eames undid at least some of the good he did, when one of his final actions as Archbishop was to put the discussion on women bishops back up for debate.

However Eames still found time for some political work. During his time as a Vicar in Ireland, he had personal experiences with the Troubles, helping rescue a Catholic girl when her house was set on fire by a Loyalist mob, and the year before his ascension to Canterbury he had become embroiled in the Dumcree Conflict. As a native born Irishman with an experience working with Protestants and Catholics in the eyes of the Brown Government he was the perfect person to help with the peace process which had begun under Neil Kinnock. Delighted to do something to heal the wounds in his home country, Eames recruited his Catholic counterpart to aid in the work, and it is recognised that is in large part due to their work that the Ash Wednesday Accord came about in 1999.

Eames retired in 2007 on his seventieth birthday, acknowledged by all as one of the most beloved Archbishops. His successor’s appointment would be recognised as one of the most historic appointments in the history of the Church of England.
 
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Sideways

Donor
An interesting figure. What's your perspective on the internal dispute in the church at present? I'd it possible for the church to make its peace with the issue of woman Priests and bishops without the constitutional weirdness of the bishop of Maidstone (that is the conservative make only bishop isn't it?)

What does the church scaling back on politics actually mean? Presumably not ceasing to complain about secularisation? I imagine there must be massive changes in how the church relates to church schools, and groups like the Guides.

The Girl Guides pledge debate at synod a few years back remains one of the most fascinatingly obscure and over complicated discussions I've ever encountered.
 
An interesting figure. What's your perspective on the internal dispute in the church at present? I'd it possible for the church to make its peace with the issue of woman Priests and bishops without the constitutional weirdness of the bishop of Maidstone (that is the conservative make only bishop isn't it?)

What does the church scaling back on politics actually mean? Presumably not ceasing to complain about secularisation? I imagine there must be massive changes in how the church relates to church schools, and groups like the Guides.

The Girl Guides pledge debate at synod a few years back remains one of the most fascinatingly obscure and over complicated discussions I've ever encountered.

The first bit will be addressed in the next update. As for the second bit, by scaling back, in my head I simply meant that Bishops cease to turn up on Andrew Marr and Question Time every third week. They still make a ruckus, and still have a lot of influence but they don't appear in public as much.
 

Sideways

Donor
The first bit will be addressed in the next update. As for the second bit, by scaling back, in my head I simply meant that Bishops cease to turn up on Andrew Marr and Question Time every third week. They still make a ruckus, and still have a lot of influence but they don't appear in public as much.

That's probably wise to be honest, we're coming to a point where a straight males aren't going to be able to get away with to many appearances without addressing that.
 
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104: Michael Nazir-Ali: 2008 – 2014

The election of Michael Nazir-Ali to the Archbishopric of Canterbury in 2008 was a historic occasion. Nazir-Ali the Bishop of Rochester was the first non-white Archbishop of Canterbury in the history of the Anglican Communion as well as the first one of Muslim heritage.

Born in 1949 in Karachi, Pakistan he studied for ordination at Ridley Hall Cambridge, before being ordained in 1976 and returning to Pakistan to minister in Karachi and Lahore. He was made the Bishop of Raiwind in 1984. However his life came under threat in 1986 and it was arranged by Canterbury for him to and his family to take refuge in England. He served for a time as the Bishop of Southwark and Assistant to Canterbury before he became Bishop of Rochester in 1994.

Nazir-Ali’s Muslim heritage was considered by many his greatest asset, though he was no slouch as a theologian. Relations with the Muslim community in the UK were at an all-time low following the London City Bombing in early 2008 and the subsequent arson attacks on a number of mosques (later discovered to be perpetrated by members of the EDL). Picking up on the work begun by Archbishop of York Richard Harries, Nazir-Ali appeared at the rededication of the burnt out mosques and then initiated several public and private meetings with the Chief Imam’s. The subsequently organised, annual Christian-Islamic lectures have done much to improve cultural relations between the two groups.

Nazir-Ali also continued the work Eames had started on women bishops, bringing together the various groups to debate and settle the issues, mostly over how to minister to those parishes that could not in good conscience accept a female bishop. While his successor oversaw the vote that approved the appointment of women bishops it is acknowledged that Nazir-Ali is the chief architect of the event.

On the other hand, he was not as popular with the political classes or the public as some of his predecessors had been, partly due to his wish to focus on Church issues, and partly due to the fact that he was more conservative with regards to Church doctrine than previous Archbishops had been. For example he was one of the Bishops who had been most vocal about the issues of practicing homosexual clergy, and he spoke out against the legalisation of same-sex marriage. Some of his comments on multiculturalism were also met with hostility though his work with the UK’s Muslim communities did soften this somewhat.

Never the less he was a great proponent of the Church “being active in the public square.” He continued to speak out against social inequality, poverty and (after the recession of 2008) the austerity measures imposed by the government. As Archbishop his words still carried some weight and it is widely acknowledged that some of his comments in an interview with the Guardian may have helped Labour achieve victory in the 2010 election (the leaders debate between Labour leader Andy Burnham and Prime Minister William Hague had been described by one commentator as “the most soporific event in the history of British politics).

Nazir-Ali stepped down in 2014 after six years in the role, to take on the directorship of the Oxford Centre for Training, Research, Advocacy and Dialogue.
 
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Sideways

Donor
(the leaders debate between Labour leader Andy Burnham and Prime Minister William Hague had been described by one commentator as “the most soporific event in the history of British politics).

Under those circumstances is sacrifice a goat or two to get some more lecterns on there.

You still have two Nazis in paragraph four.

I think I had this guy on there when I attempted a list like this. I seem to remember him from somewhere.

So last guy. Who? I could make some guesses, but it would be terrible of I was right.
 
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105: Christopher Cocksworth: 2014 – Present

Before his appointment to Canterbury, Christopher Cocksworth was Bishop of Coventry and worked extensively with the Community of the Cross of Nails and the Centre for International Reconciliation that is based at Coventry Cathedral. He was a man well known for his ability to bring people together and facilitate discussion.

In short, he was exactly the person the Church of England needed.

With the more liberal bent of the church in recent decades the Anglo-Catholic and Conservative evangelical wings of the church had begun to feel pushed out and excluded. While the appointment of two evangelicals in succession to Canterbury had placated them somewhat, many felt that the debate of women Bishops, whether they would be allowed and in what form, was crunch time for them if they were going to remain a relevant and active part of the church.

Fortunately for Cocksworth most of the ground work had already been laid by Michael Nazir-Ali during his tenure, leaving the new Archbishop to simply tie up the loose ends and put it to a vote. However it wasn’t going to be easy as that. Relations between the conservatives and the group Woman and the Church were at an all-time low and many felt that no compromise could be reached. But fortunately Cocksworth (who had been Principle of Ridley Hall before he was a Bishop) was a master at getting people to compromise. At the end of the day the creation of Alternative Episcopal Oversight (or Flying Bishops as they were colloquially known) for parishes who could not support a female Bishop while unpopular with WATCH (who felt it should be all or not at all), got enough of the conservatives and wavers onside. While the vote in Synod was tight, the result was clear enough to be free of controversy and the first woman Bishop was appointed at the beginning of the year.

During his tenure Cocksworth has also withdrawn from active daily politics, choosing instead to focus on the work of finding new ways of helping people engage with church. But if the Archbishop is out of the papers it is only because others, including the Archbishop of York, and David Urquhart and David Walker the Bishops of Birmingham and Manchester respectively are often in them. Those three have been vocal critics of the damage done to lowest earning and unemployed people by the austerity measures instituted by the Hague Government and have often worked with the present government to reverse that damage. Last month Urquhart and Walker flanked by several other diocesan and suffragan bishops relaunched the Christian Social Union (which had previously existed from 1889 to 1919) as a think take to “reintroduce Christian ideals into the political sphere.” Prime Minister Andy Burnham has referred to it as “a fantastic new source of policy ideas.”

While Cocksworth still has probably five or six years to go before he retires, people have begun to speculate as to who might replace him. Insiders say that the Crown Nominations Commission will most likely look for someone young who can appeal to the generation of young ordinands that Church is seeking to attract and who will help expand the burgeoning “Fresh Expressions” movement. While some in WATCH are lobbying for a female Archbishop, others are starting to take a long look at the recently installed Bishop of Leicester Martyn Snow.

Whoever the next occupant of St Augustine’s Chair is, whoever continues the work begun by Beckett and Augustine, Oswald and Wulfstan, Aidan and Cuthbert, they will inherit a Church that is perhaps more theologically divided than it has been for a while, but one that is also more actively involved in people’s lives and more socially engaged than it has been for a long long time.

The End
 

Sideways

Donor
Bravo, and all my guesses were totally wrong.

I'm just going to assume Tony Blair was your first choice, but you went with Cocksworth so as not to be to obvious:)

You mention that the epilogue will have PM lists. Could I make a request for a census list on the religion question? I think that would be an interesting illustration of what this has changed.

The interesting thing, to my mind, is that the key social issues the church faces, which they insist on referring to (kind of creepily) as "Human Sexuality" seem to be unchanged in the main, except for calls for a woman archbishop. Which I haven't heard of if it's real. Also relatively little on money. Church finances and property management, I feel, is the quiet issue that the church needs to sort out fast or face the consequences.

Good job.
 
Bravo, and all my guesses were totally wrong.

I'm just going to assume Tony Blair was your first choice, but you went with Cocksworth so as not to be to obvious:)

You mention that the epilogue will have PM lists. Could I make a request for a census list on the religion question? I think that would be an interesting illustration of what this has changed.

The interesting thing, to my mind, is that the key social issues the church faces, which they insist on referring to (kind of creepily) as "Human Sexuality" seem to be unchanged in the main, except for calls for a woman archbishop. Which I haven't heard of if it's real. Also relatively little on money. Church finances and property management, I feel, is the quiet issue that the church needs to sort out fast or face the consequences.

Good job.

Thank you. I will see what I can do re: a Census list, though I haven't given much though to it, and statistics aren't really my strong suit. But I'll try my best.

I think the calls for a Female Archbishop are my anticipating what's going to happen in five years or so when Welby retires. This is also my basis for the Martyn Snow cameo. He was until recently the Bishop of Tewkesbury and I'm a tiny bit of a fan of his.
 
As promised here's the epilogue with the leadership lists. Unfortunately I wasn't able to do the census lists. My aim was to create a world that is a tiny bit more to the left than ours, and I think I have succeeded.

Epilogue

Archbishops of Canterbury

William Temple: 1939 – 1944
George Bell: 1944 – 1958
Michael Ramsey: 1958 – 1972
Trevor Huddleston: 1972 – 1985
David Sheppard: 1985 – 1997
Robin Eames: 1997 – 2008
Michael Nazir-Ali: 2008 – 2014
Christopher Cocksworth: 2014 – Present



Archbishops of York


Cyril Garbett: 1939 – 1955
Michael Ramsey: 1955 – 1958
Geoffrey Fisher: 1958 – 1961
Donald Coggan: 1961 – 1980
John Habgood: 1980 - 1995
Richard Harries: 1995 – 2006
John Sentamu: 2006 – Present




Prime Ministers of Great Britain and Northern Ireland


Clement Attlee: 1945 – 1955 (Labour)
Anthony Eden: 1955 – 1957 (Conservative)
Harold Macmillan: 1957 – 1963 (Conservative)
Alec Douglas-Holme: 1963 – 1964 (Conservative)

Harold Wilson: 1964 – 1970 (Labour)
Edward Heath: 1970 – 1974 (Conservative)
Harold Wilson: 1974 – 1976 (Labour)
Peter Shore: 1976 – 1979 (Labour)

Keith Joseph: 1979 – 1985 (Conservative)
Margaret Thatcher: 1985 – 1991 (Conservative)
John Major: 1991 – 1992 (Conservative)

Neil Kinnock: 1992 – 1996 (Labour)
Gordon Brown: 1996 – 2001 (Labour)

Ken Clarke: 2001 – 2007 (Conservative)
William Hague: 2007 – 2010 (Conservative)

Andy Burnham: 2010 – Present (Labour)



Leaders of the Opposition


Winston Churchill: 1945 – 1951 (Conservative)
Anthony Eden: 1951 – 1955 (Conservative)

Hugh Gaitskell: 1955 – 1963 (Labour)
Harold Wilson: 1963 – 1964 (Labour)

Alec Douglas-Holme: 1964 – 1965 (Conservative)
Edward Heath: 1965 – 1970 (Conservative)

Harold Wilson: 1970 – 1974 (Labour)
Keith Joseph: 1974 – 1979 (Conservative)
Peter Shore: 1979 – 1980 (Labour)
Tony Benn: 1980 – 1988 (Labour)
Neil Kinnock: 1988 – 1992 (Labour)

Michael Heseltine: 1992 – 1997 (Conservative)
Ken Clarke: 1997 – 2001 (Conservative)

Alistair Darling: 2001 – 2005 (Labour)
Stephen Byers: 2005 – 2008 (Labour)
Andy Burnham: 2008 – 2010 (Labour)

David Davis: 2010 – 2015 (Conservative)
Nick Clegg: 2015 – Present (Conservative)

 
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