Wales bishop favored to succeed Carey

A London Times poll of the General Synod, the Church of England's top decision-making body, reveals that its members' clear choice to succeed Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey is Archbishop Rowan Williams of Wales.

The survey of 220 of the synod's 516 clergy and lay representatives gave the more liberal Williams 61 votes, or 28 percent, to 41 votes, or 19 percent, for Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali of Rochester. Third with 29 votes was Bishop Richard Chartres of London, followed by Bishop James Jones of Liverpool and Bishop Christopher Herbert of St. Albans. In the survey 34 members said that they were undecided.

Williams is a theologian from an Anglo-Catholic background who supports women bishops and gay clergy -- viewpoints which make him unacceptable to most evangelicals. If chosen, he would be the first archbishop of Canterbury from outside the Church of England in over 300 years, according to the Episcopal News Service.

Yet Williams was a distinct favorite among the clergy members of the synod with 39 votes to 17 for Nazir-Ali, who is supported by laity and the evangelical wing of the church. Pakistani-born Nazir-Ali has been the target, some observers say, of a smear campaign because of his ethnicity and Catholic background.

A 13-member commission--a lay chairman appointed by Prime Minister Tony Blair, two bishops, three lay and three clergy from the General Synod and four representatives from the Diocese of Canterbury--will meet in secret to produce two names. The names then go to the prime minister, who either chooses one to present to the queen or sends the names back to the commission for reconsideration.

COPYRIGHT 2002 The Christian Century Foundation
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