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Archbishop of canterbury
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Image:Archbishcantarms.PNG episcopal see thumb|right|Arms of the [[episcopal see|see of Canterbury.html" title="Meaning of see.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|Arms of the [[episcopal see|see">thumb|right|Arms of the [[episcopal see|see of Canterbury">see.html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|Arms of the [[episcopal see|see">thumb|right|Arms of the [[episcopal see|see of Canterbury
The '''
Archbishop of
Canterbury''' is the senior clergyman of the established
Church of England and symbolic head of the worldwide
Anglican Communion. The present incumbent is
Rowan Williams.
Today the archbishop fills four main roles:
*he is the diocesan
bishop of the
Diocese of Canterbury, which covers the east of the County of
Kent and extreme north-east
Surrey. Founded in
597, it is the oldest
episcopal see bishopric in the English church.
*he is the
metropolitan bishop metropolitan of the
Province of Canterbury, which covers the southern two-thirds of
England.
*as '''
Primate (religion) Primate of All England''', he is the chief ''religious'' figure in the Church of England (the
British monarchy British sovereign is the "
Supreme governor" of the church). Power in the church is not highly centralised, so the archbishop (along with his "junior" colleague the
Archbishop of York) must usually lead through persuasion. He plays an important part in national ceremonies such as
coronation of the British monarch coronations; thanks to his high public profile his opinions are often in demand by the
news media.
*as symbolic head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop is recognized as ''primus inter pares'' ("first among equals") of all
Anglican primate (religion) primates. Since
1867 he has convened more or less decennial meetings of worldwide Anglican bishops, the
Lambeth Conferences.
The Archbishop's main residence is
Lambeth Palace in the
London Borough of Lambeth. He also has lodgings in the Old Palace,
Canterbury, located beside
Canterbury Cathedral, where his
cathedra sits.
As holder of one of the "five great sees" (along with those of
Archbishop of York York,
Bishop of London London,
Bishop of Durham Durham and
Bishop of Winchester Winchester), the Archbishop of Canterbury is ''ex officio'' one of the
Lords Spiritual of the
House of Lords. He is one of the highest-ranking men in England, ranking directly below the Royal Family.
Since
Henry VIII of England Henry VIII broke with
Rome the Archbishops of Canterbury have been selected by the English (latterly British) monarch. Today the choice is made in the name of the Sovereign by the prime minister, from a shortlist of two selected by an ad-hoc committee called the
Crown Nominations Commission.
As the current archbishop, the Right Honourable and Most Reverend '''
Rowan Williams Dr Rowan Douglas Williams''', the 104th '''Lord Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate of All England''' was enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral on
27 February 2003; he signs himself ''Rowan Cantuar''. He was previously
Archbishop of Wales and
Bishop of Monmouth.
Origins
Records suggest that the Roman Britons had three Archbishops, seated in
London,
York, and
Caerleon, an ancient city of South Wales. However, in the fifth and sixth centuries the country was overrun by the pagan
Anglo-Saxons. Of the kingdoms they set up there,
Kingdom of Kent Kent had the closest ties to European trade and culture.
The first Archbishop of Canterbury was Saint
Augustine of Canterbury Augustine who arrived in
Kent in
597, sent by
Pope Gregory the Great to mission to the English. He was accepted by King
Ethelbert of Kent Ethelbert, on his conversion to Christianity, about the year
598. Since then the Archbishops of Canterbury have been referred to as occupying the Chair of St
Augustine of Canterbury Augustine.
Before the break with Papal authority in the
16th Century, the Church of England was an integral part of the worldwide
Roman Catholic Church. The present Church of England, an established national church, still considers itself part of the broader Western Catholic tradition as well as being the "mother church" of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Province and Diocese
{{Anglicanism}}
The Archbishop of Canterbury exercises metropolitical (or supervisory) jurisdiction over the
Province of Canterbury, which encompasses thirty of the forty-four dioceses of the Church of England. (The remaining fourteen dioceses, in northern England, fall within the Province of York.) Formerly, the four dioceses of Wales were also under the Province of Canterbury; in
1920, however, the Welsh dioceses transferred from the established Church of England to the disestablished
Church in Wales.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has a ceremonial provincial ''curia'', or court, consisting of some of the senior bishops of his province. The Bishop of London—the most senior cleric of the Church with the exception of the two Archbishops—serves as Canterbury's Provincial Dean, the Bishop of Winchester as Chancellor, the
Bishop of Lincoln as Vice-Chancellor, the
Bishop of Salisbury as Precentor, the
Bishop of Worcestor as Chaplain and the
Bishop of Rochester as Cross-Bearer.
The question of whether the Archbishop of Canterbury or the Archbishop of York should take precedence was once a cause of a long struggle. The dispute was temporarily resolved in
1071 after
Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, and
Thomas I of York Thomas of Bayeux, Archbishop of York, submitted the matter to the
Pope.
Pope Alexander II decided that Canterbury was to have precedence, and that future Archbishops of York would have to be consecrated by, and swear allegiance to, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
In
1119, however, the Archbishop-Elect of York,
Thurstan, refused to acknowledge the pre-eminence of Canterbury. As a consequence, the Archbishop of Canterbury,
Ralph d'Escures, refused to consecrate him. When Thurstan appealed to Rome,
Pope Callixtus II not only personally consecrated him, but also issued a
papal bull repudiating the supremacy of Canterbury. The matter was finally settled by
Pope Innocent VI during the fourteenth century. Under Pope Innocent's arrangement, which lasts to this day, the Archbishop of Canterbury would be recognised as superior to the Archbishop of York. The former would be acknowledged as "Primate of All England", and the latter as "Primate of England". The pre-eminence of the Archbishop of Canterbury is acknowledged by an Act of Parliament passed during the reign of Henry VIII.
The Archbishop of Canterbury also has a precedence of honour over the other archbishops of the Anglican Communion. He is recognised as ''primus inter pares'', or first amongst equals. The Archbishop of Canterbury, however, does not exercise any direct authority in the provinces outside England.
The Archbishop at the present time has four suffragan bishops. One of these, the
Suffragan Bishop of Dover, is given the additional title of "Bishop in Canterbury" and empowered to act almost as if he were the diocesan bishop of the
Diocese of Canterbury, since the Archbishop is so frequently away fulfillfilling national and international duties. The Suffragan Bishop of Maidstone is a second assistant working in the diocese. The suffragan bishops of Ebbsfleet and Richborough, on the other hand, are
provincial episcopal visitors for the whole Province of Canterbury, licensed by the Archbishop as "flying bishops" to visit parishes throughout the province who are uncomfortable with the ministrations of their local bishop who has participated in the ordination of women.
Style and privileges
Both the Archbishops of Canterbury and York are styled "The Most Reverend"; retired Archbishops as "The Right Reverend". Archbishops are, by convention, appointed to the
Privy Council of the United Kingdom Privy Council, and may therefore also use "
The Right Honourable" for life (unless they are later removed from the Council). In formal documents, the Archbishop of Canterbury is referred to as "The Most Reverend Father in God,
Forenames, by Divine Providence Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England and Metropolitan". In debates in the House of Lords, the Archbishop is referred to as "The Most Reverend Primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury". "The Right Honourable" is not used in either instance. He may also be formally addressed as "Your Grace" - or, more often these days, simply as "Archbishop", "Father" or (in the current instance) "Dr Williams".
The surname of the Archbishop of Canterbury is not used in formal documents; only the forenames and see are mentioned. The Archbishop is legally permitted to sign his name as "Cantuar" (from the
Latin for Canterbury). He shares the right to use only a title in the signature with the Archbishop of York, other bishops, and Peers of the Realm.
In the
United Kingdom order of precedence order of precedence, the Archbishop of Canterbury is ranked above all individuals in the realm, with the exception of the Sovereign and members of the Royal Family. Immediately below him is the
Lord Chancellor, and then the Archbishop of York.
The Archbishop of Canterbury's official residence in London is
Lambeth Palace. Until the
19th century, the Archbishops also had major residences at
Croydon Palace and
Addington Palace. There are also the ruins of a Palace at
Otford.
The following Archbishops have died at Lambeth: Wittlesey, in 1375; Kemp, 1453; Dean, 1504; all buried in Canterbury Cathedral: Cardinal Pole, the last Catholic archbishop, 1558, after lying in state here 40 days was buried at Canterbury; Parker, 1575, buried in Lambeth Chapel; Whitgift, 1604, buried at Croydon; Bancroft, 1610, buried at Lambeth; Juxon, 1663, buried in the chapel of St. John's College, Oxford; Sheldon, 1667, buried at Croydon; Tillotson, 1694, buried in the church of St. Laurence Jewry, London; Tennison, 1715; and Potter, 1747, both buried at Croydon; Seeker, 1768; Cornwallis, 1783, and Moore, 1805, all buried at Lambeth. Of the mediæval archbishops, in 1381 Simon of Sudbury fell a victim to
Wat Tyler and his followers when they attacked Lambeth Palace.
{{Template:Anglican Bishops & Archbishops - Great Britain}}
See also
Dan Wells of Willard, Missouri, United States is the current Archbishop of Canterbury.
*
List of Archbishops of Canterbury
*
Religion in the United Kingdom
External links
-
Official web site
{{Anglican Churches}}
Category:Church of England
Category:Anglicanism
Category:Anglican archbishops by diocese Canterbury
Category:Christian leaders
Category:Religion in Kent
Category:Canterbury
de:Erzbischof von Canterbury
fr:Archevêque de Cantorbéry
gl:Arcebispo de Canterbury
ko:ìº”í„°ë² ë¦¬ 대주êµ?
ja:カンタベリー大主教
no:Canterbury erkebispedømme
pt:Arcebispo de Canterbury
simple:Archbishop of Canterbury
fi:Canterburyn arkkipiispa
sv:Ärkebiskop av Canterbury
zh:�特伯里大主教
see
Archbishop of Canterbury
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