On 7 May 2025, the “Extra omnes” pronunciation was made in the Sistine Chapel by Archbishop Diego Ravelli, Master of Papal Ceremony; this marked the commencement of the Conclave for election of the 267th bishop of Rome. Also on 7 May, the Church of England issued the Press Release 11,000 people take part in consultations for the next Archbishop of Canterbury; the Diocese of Canterbury later released a Statement on its Vacancy in See process, (“the Statement”), an integral part of the archbishop’s appointment procedure, which had begun in December 2024. Extracts from the diocesan Statement relevant to recent events[*] are reproduced below.
Vacancy in See Committee (“the Statement”)
[…]
Elections to the Vacancy in See Committee 2022-2024
The elected members of the Committee for the 2022-2024 triennium are the elected members responsible for the selection of the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury, because Justin Welby announced his decision to resign as Archbishop in 2024. Following legal advice and a formal direction from the Archbishop of York, a new election was held in early 2025 to ensure the 2022-2024 VISC had elected representatives drawn from a wider pool than just our diocesan synod members.
However, it became clear Rule 75 of the Church Representation Rules was not correctly applied to the election. This Rule requires that if the number of candidates of a particular category is less than or equal to the minimum number required by that category, then those candidates should be declared automatically elected and their names should not be included on the voting paper.
The Canterbury Archbishop’s Council sought a direction from the Archbishop of York requiring fresh elections to be held, which the diocese has been advised was signed on 7 May. The previous list of nominations will stand for the re run election and new nominations will not be sought.
[*] As of 7 May 2025. The diocesan Statement will be updated with decisions and dates as they are known.
Comment
The nomination of the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury has already been a lengthier process than the selection of the new Pope, and on 21 January 2025 we posted a summary of the then anticipated timings. The Canterbury Vacancy in See process commenced in December 2024, and has been subject to critical comment by the Revd Dr Andrew Goddard who has written about the problems that the diocese has faced and the mistakes made here and here.
The Church Times reports that the committee as constituted before the resignation of Archbishop Welby was deemed not to have been properly elected, owing to candidates’ being drawn solely from the diocesan synod. A subsequent election to the committee was held in early 2025, but was subsequently considered improperly conducted under Rule 75 of the Church Representation Rules. The Religion Media Centre, commenting on the recent setback, observed that the whole process was intended to be complete by November – a year since Justin Welby announced his intention to resign.
By way of contrast on issues of organization, on 21 April 2025 Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, announced the death of Pope Francis at Casa Santa Marta and the start of the Sede Vacante. On the evening of 8 May 2025, Cardinal Protodeacon Dominique Mamberti pronounced the formula “Habemus Papam,” proclaiming the news of the election of Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost as Pope Leo XIV by the 133 cardinal electors from 71 different countries who had travelled to Rome for the Conclave.
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