Paddy Power (the bookmakers) are giving the following odds online:

John Sentamu – 11/8
Richard Chatres – 7/2
Christopher Cocksworth – 7/2
Graham James – 6/1
Nick Baines – 6/1

plus a range of others with the last being an outsider at 40/1 – Peter Forster.

I don’t know whether Stephen Bates advised Paddy Power’s or vice versa, but you could always stick a few bob on the Archbishop of York, Christopher.

“at the same time holding everyone together on common issues such as the Millennium Development Goals”

Of all the things that an archbishop might be asked to do in the course of his duties, this would never have occurred to me as one. Preaching the Gospel or administering the church, yes. Making sure everyone is on the same page regarding the MDGs, no.

You’re right, Christopher. Johnson’s First Law strikes again?

So the main reason to avoid Sentamu is that he’s likely to express an actual opinion?

That’s not a bug lady, that’s a feature.

Why not Tom Wright? He has been positioning himself a bit by being nice to the libs, but I think he’s orthodox. And he has some media savvy from he jousts with Dawkins and Hitchens.

Yeah, but “Chartres” would be such a great name for an Archbishop. Even better would be an Anglican cleric surnamed Pope, if there are any.

BTW can someone explain to me the mystery numbers quoted by the bookies? I can understand something like 40/1, but what do 11/8 or 7/2 signify? They always make me think of the price tag on the Mad Hatter’s hatband.

Chris may your last paragraph come true! May Butt and the like leave the Anglican Communion. It would be addition by subtraction.

Sentamu a conservative? In what alternative universe?

“Rowan Williams’s strength and weakness was his attempt to be fair to everyone, regardless of his own personal feelings. It was why the traditionalists liked him and the liberals hated him. Rather tellingly, the conservative evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics issued statements praising Williams and his legacy within hours of his retirement hitting the headlines.” She must be quoting the ABC’s publicist. No way in heck is any of this is the least bit accurate. the Anglo Catholics were praising him? Maybe as they depart to Rome.

Describing Sentamu as a conservative Anglican, Prof, is not necessarily the same thing as calling him a conservative Christian. Take people where they are, not where you think they should be.

The CoE, Parliament and QEII listen up! You will be selecting the next leader not just of the CoE or the Commonwealth but of the Anglican Communion. Most of the Anglican Communion is already NOT in fellowship with TEC and the ACoC. The majority is considering whether a Canterbury Pedigree is still worth the baggage of the contemporary CoE. Most of the Anglican Communion has waited patiently for RW to step down. The next choice for ABC had better be for more than English politically expediency or the CoE, TEC and ACoC will be forming their own communion And Gafcon will be the new center of old Anglicanism.

I could be wrong but I think Riazat Butt is a secular Muslim. I won’t be taking her opinions on what the focus of the CofE should be.

Sentamu is not a conservative in several respects, both in the church and in society, since bishops and archbishops tend to stick their noses into politics. Of the available choices Chartres sounds better than most, but I’m not enthusiastic about the available choices.

Anyone remember what Sentamu said about premarital sex a bit before the royal wedding? He may be “conservative” on “homosexual’marriage’,” but that’s really the only thing on which he can be represented as “conservative.”

Is the previous bishop of Rochester to be considered at all?

Fr. D.
Michael Nazir Ali would be my choice. He also understands the Muslim mind. Let’s hope QEII has some input.

“It needs a man –…. – who can be fair to all points of view rather than imposing absolutes on difficult issues, and someone who can put their personal beliefs aside for the greater good.”

And therein lies the source of Anglicanism’s inevitable internal disintegration and self destruction. As Shakespeare himself put it in Hamlet

” This above all: to thine own self be true,

And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

Thus endeth the lesson!

Michael Nazir Ali has the same chance to be ABC as mark Lawrence has of being Presiding Bishop.

N T Wright isn’t a conservative. He’s a liberal. He is simply on the conservative side of the liberal spectrum.

carl

Being African would certainly place TEc in a bind, after all those anti-racism classes. The world could see if they meant them as seriously as the gay promotional bits.

It would be rather entertaining – and that’s reason enough. Beats the MDG huggers et alia et cause celebre de jour et alia ad nauseum.

Wow! Considering candidates for the very important and very relevant position of Archbishop of Canterbury! Why, all of the world is on the edge of its seats.

In other news, Junior “Bubba” Shines of Dumptruck, Alabama is the front-runner in the race to replace current Pope Billy Bob “Cornpone” Tyler as the Pope of the Back Yonder Holler Primitive Snake-Handling Church in Grits, West Virginia and Ms. Alicia Dyke-Lesbos is the favorite to be named the new Archbishop of the Universal Church of the Holy Vagina of the Diocese of San Francisco and AIDS Hospices.

Considering the choices, I find the last two to be most newsworthy and relevant. Why can’t Vickie’s wiener-storage unit simply become the new Bishop by virtue of Sodomite Succession? Isn’t he the equivalent of a Crown Prince in the Anglican Cult?

Oh wait. I understand Vickie is the “wife,” so his partner would be the “wiener-provider.” My bad.

I am actually more concerned about who will be the next Coptic Pope. Pope Shenouda died yesterday. The new leader there will lead his people in a life and death situation.

Shenouda died? That is bad news.

The Pilgrim,
“Michael Nazir Ali has the same chance to be ABC as mark Lawrence has of being Presiding Bishop” Talking about “chance” is like talking about luck. Faith is the substance of things hoped for.

how far the CoE has fallen from Runcie: “While recognising that a truly pluralistic society should not merely tolerate diversity but value and nurture it, I must also express the fear that at times we seem tempted to sacrifice too much of our native Christian tradition on the altar of multi-culturalism”

Frankly it doesn’t matter. Here in Canada we have learned our lesson in politics. No matter how left or right the party, they will all move to the center to govern. The same is true for the ABC. Conservative or Liberal they will immediately move to the center to avoid an open civil war.
It is at times like this that I am glad I swam the tiber.

For years (centuries even?) York was an automatic choice. But whatever happens, the only hope is that Her Highness makes her own choice. If she concedes to the government candidate you can expect more of the same or worse.

It’s clear to me that there’s a larger plan here.

V.G. Robinson is retiring from his position in New Hampshire.

Then, ++Williams announces his retirement.

Coincidence? Not likely. It’s apparent to even the most casual observer that a deal has been struck to have Robinson become the new ABC. With his background of speechifying and liberal histrionics, Robinson is the perfect choice to guarantee that the downward slide of the CofE continues apace.

(and lest someone ask if I’m wearing my tin foil cap -)

/sarcasm off

“…the only hope is that Her Highness makes her own choice”

I think you’re referring to Her Majesty the Queen.

She stopped being a Highness a while back.

Yes, jamesk. Thank you for the correction, my apologies.

So the main reason to avoid Sentamu is that he’s likely to express an actual opinion?

No, the main reason to avoid Sentamu is that he’s likely to express the wrong opinion.

“It needs a man – who can be fair to all points of view rather than imposing absolutes on difficult issues, and someone who can put their personal beliefs aside for the greater good.”

I saw the same sentence that Lavallette did but wasn’t taken by the anti-doctrinal position it attributed to an office usually noted for being a defender of church doctrine (after all, what church are we dealing with here?) but rather what bugged me was the grammatical insanity, which may be a symbol of the absens of logic that pervades our time.

I can understand, even if I find it wrong and cowardly, the misuse of the third person plural in uses of a singular individual of unknown or hypothetical nature for fear of offending the gods [demons] by using the masculine as generic. But when the subject is known to be male, and this has been explicitly stated as such, why, except for thoughtless rote stupidity, would one use “their” when the grammatically correct usage could be use without offending anyone? Is it now a rule that any variant of the gender neutral “one” must always be followed with the politically correct [grammatically incorrect] plural pronouns?

If you can get people to speak like idiots you can get them to think like them too.

My hope is that no one will be appointed and that the C of E be under the authority of a Synod. Cantrebury can simply have its own diocesan bishop. In the meantime HRH will assume the role of acting head, after all she has been the Defender for sixty years.

Even better would be an Anglican cleric surnamed Pope, if there are any.

http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=44340

I nominate a peanut butter sandwich. Could not possibly do worse than Rowan, and actually has nutritional value.

Yes, and what happened to “Empty Coke Bottle?”

@Stephen: I’d prefer Spong to Williams. At least with Spong you know where he stands (somewhere between Mars and Jupiter) and you can get on with your life. William’s “neither here nor there” act kept folks at the table for a while and forestalled an official breech, but did anything actually change?

Bill2,
According to the Archbishop of Nigeria things got worse.
http://www.anglican-nig.org/main.php?k_j=12&d=594&p_t=index.php

I’m offering “equally worthless and ineffectual” at 100 to 1, regardless of the chap’s name. Any takers? I’d be deleriously happy to pay if wrong.

Yes Dale, I meant the trajectory of things, which was going in a “worse” direction. It kept TEo from giving another unrepentant homosexual a mitre for 6 years (maybe), but that was only a “We won’t do it until we do” moratorium. The outcomes were the same in the end. Rowan’s feckless leadership allowed him to be totally manipulated by KJS, making him her sock-puppet with a British accent.

Ed the Roman, a public letter from (Anglican) Bishop Mouneer Anis says that hundred of thousands of Egyptians were in the streets of Cairo in mourning for Shenouda yesterday, the day after his death. They didn’t need a blow like this at a time like this.

@Katherine-
Shenouda’s death at this time is not a good thing, as you have wisely pointed out. I will put the Coptic Church in my prayers.

I don’t think it much matters who gets appointed. Rowan Williams has done so much damage, I don’t think the Communion can recover, even if it wants to.

From what ++Nigeria had to say, I think he would agree with me!

Speaking for those of us who don’t match your stereotype, Mr. Janousek, I’ll say “Thank you sir. May I have another?”

Don Janousek,
“Isn’t he the equivalent of a Crown Prince in the Anglican Cult?” Most of the time you are very funny. Sometimes you are downright disrespectful. Speaking as a Anglican, to essentially call 65 million Anglicans members of a cult is uncharitable.

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