CHURCH leaders have given a mixed welcome to the possibility of having the power of choosing bishops solely in their own hands. Gordon Brown is planning to return the responsibility to the Church of England for the first time since the reign of Henry VIII, according to the Sunday Times. Under the present system, the Crown Nominations Commission selects two candidates, whose names are then passed to the Prime Minister to decide on one of the names on the list. This name is then given to the monarch for final approval. The Chancellor’s move, were he to become Prime Minister, would mark a significant departure from his predecessors, some of whom have taken an active involvement in choosing who should be archbishop or bishop.
Tony Blair is believed to have used his veto to reject both candidates for the diocese of Liverpool. The Rt Rev James Jones was finally appointed to the post, initially labelled as “Blair’s bishop”. Margaret Thatcher is also said to have exercised her power and James Callaghan, who introduced the current system, argued that it was the Prime Minister’s duty to the Queen to oversee the appointment of bishops. He also said that as some bishops sit as peers it was only right that the Prime Minister, who controlled all access to the peerage, should retain this role. Gordon Brown is understood to believe that Downing Street’s role in appointments is anachronistic, but the role of the Queen, as the Supreme Governor of the Church, would be kept. Insiders on the commission have expressed concern over the way in which the Prime Minister’s office has been able to influence some recent appointments. The former Bishop of Woolwich, the Rt Rev Colin Buchanan, an ardent supporter for disestablishment said: “Anything that enables the church to function without the interference of parliament and government is to be welcomed.”
The Bishop of Wolverhampton, the Rt Rev Michael Bourke, agreed that the move would “simplify the process”. He urged for caution if this is to take the Church down the road to disestablishment. “I believe the Church is there to not just be a private society, but to be part of the public world so it is not entirely unreasonable that the public has a say in the appointment of the Church’s leaders.” A Church of England spokesman said that there were no plans to ask for the power to be handed back, but stated that there would be discussion if a future Government wanted to look at the present situation.
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