Justin Welby has resigned, could the next Archbishop of Canterbury be a woman?

As reported by Premier Christian News, the Most Rev Justin Welby has resigned his position as the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury after a report into a prolific child abuser led to accusations of a Church of England cover-up.

Archbishop Justin said he: “must take personal and institutional responsibility” over his inaction related to the abuse at the hands of Iwerne Christian camp leader John Smyth. 

So the question is, as he steps down, who will take his place, and after 1,400 years and 105 men, will it be a woman?

There are currently twenty-five female bishops in the UK

There are currently twenty-five female bishops in the UK, however Archbishops are obliged to retire at the age of 70, which may rule out a number of experienced bishops who would only be able to serve a few years.

Here is some insight on four female contenders for the next Archbishop of Canterbury:

Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford, 58. Bishop Guli’s father was a Muslim-born convert to Christianity who later became the Anglican Bishop in Iran. Her mother was born in Iran to second-generation British missionaries.

Following the Islamic revolution of 1979, persecution of Christians in the country increased rapidly and her parents narrowly survived an attempted assassination. Months later, her brother was murdered, aged just 24.

Speaking with Emma Fowle for Premier Christianity magazine, she said, “He was killed, as “a scapegoat” for her father.” The family fled to the UK when Bishop Guli was a teenager. Emma writes: “The Christian faith that her parents modelled to her was robust and uncompromising – much like her stance today on the social justice issues that she regularly speaks out on.”

“The Christian faith that her parents modelled to her was robust and uncompromising – much like her stance today on the social justice issues that she regularly speaks out on.”

Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester, 61. Bishop Rachel was the first woman to be appointed a diocesan (senior) Bishop in 2015 and was the first female bishop to sit in the House of Lords. Journalist Megan Cornwell interviewed her in 2019 and wrote, ‘Despite a reticence towards divulging her position on one of the more controversial areas of church life (she declined to answer a question pertaining to Church doctrine on marriage during our conversation), Bishop Rachel is generally open and forthcoming. She speaks clearly and with deliberate pauses – as one delivering a sermon – and she chooses her language carefully, perhaps a vestige of her past as a speech and language therapist.’ Bishop Rachel said when asked about her call to ordination: 

“While I was a speech and language therapist my faith carried on growing, and I became involved with a church that met in a community centre. As I got more involved there, I began to have a sense that perhaps God was calling me to be working in the Church full-time. If I’m truly honest, I thought that would be about now, in my 50s, but I plucked up courage to go and speak to the vicar. He just sat there and said: “I’ve been waiting for you to come and say that.”

Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Bishop of Dover, 63. Bishop Rose was born in Jamaica, and in 2019 she became the first black woman to be appointed a bishop in the Church of England. Welcoming Bishop Rose’s appointment into his diocese in 2019, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said: “When in October, Rose stepped down as Chaplain to the Speaker, the tributes from all sides showed her pastoral, prophetic and faith sharing gifts. Even in times of division she was a point of unity and hope, to those of any or no faith.” 

Jill Duff, Bishop of Lancaster, 52. Bishop Jill was interviewed by Jane Knoop for Woman Alive. When asked ‘How do you prioritise hiddenness when working in such a prominent and busy role?’ She said, “I spend time in the reservoir. Bernard of Clairvaux, an abbot and mystic in the eleventh century, wrote about the need to be reservoirs, not canals; to serve from a place of abundance, rather than constantly giving out. I try to be disciplined in spending a day a month hidden away with God – I don’t have an agenda, other than to spend time with him, my reservoir. It’s these times of intentional hiddenness and quality time with God when I feel most restored and transformed. One requirement of my job is regular speaking events. I have discovered that God can use me most powerfully when I speak from a place of having spent time in his reservoir. I spend less time preparing and more time in his presence.”

Claire Musters, host of the Woman Alive book club reviewed Jill’s writing in Lighting the Beacons: Kindling the flame of faith in our hearts. Claire wrote: “The imagery in this book is breathtaking – a vision of beacons being lit all over Britain; women, men and children bringing light, hope and love to their communities, and guiding people towards Christ. I found it stirred faith afresh in my heart that God is at work in our country. There was much to ponder and be challenged by. Bishop Jill is convinced that the key beacons God is raising up will come from among the poor – but how often has the Church ignored or looked down upon those from humble or difficult backgrounds?”

Yesterday, the Rt Rev’s Philip North, Jill Duff and Joe Kennedy wrote an open letter to the Diocese of Blackburn addressing the resignation of Justin Welby. They wrote:

”Much of the coverage in recent days has suggested that the Archbishop of Canterbury is the ‘head’ of the Church of England. However the church of God, of which the Church of England is a small part, has only one Head who is Jesus Christ. It is he who can forgive and offer a fresh start. It is he who awakens our consciences to the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable. It is he who is shaking his church awake….May this moment of crisis be the time when we offer ourselves to him afresh, and in so doing, find life.”

Let’s pray for Justin Welby and his succussor, that whoever they are, they would be awake to the Spirit of God, and that the Church of England would unite and flourish.