The Archbishop of Canterbury must fulfill a number of roles including that of bishop of the Canterbury diocese and head of the Church of England as well as acting as a ”focus of unity” for the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Members of a group responsible for senior Church of England appointments will begin a key three-day meeting today to decide who should succeed Dr. Rowan Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the 77 million-strong Anglican Communion.
The Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) will continue its deliberations at a secret location in an effort to find a successor to Dr. Williams, who announced earlier this year that he is stepping down after a decade in office.
The commission, with 16 voting members and chaired by former Conservative arts minister Lord Luce, has to submit the name of a preferred candidate and a second appointable candidate as Archbishop of Canterbury to Prime Minister David Cameron.
Under convention agreed since 2007, the Prime Minister commends the name preferred by the commission to the Queen for approval, with the second name used only if there is a change of circumstances which means the appointment of the recommended candidate cannot go ahead.
The meeting comes amid growing speculation about possible candidates to replace Dr. Williams, who leaves his post at the end of December in time to take up a new role as Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, in January.