Can anyone clarify the persistent rumour that the College of Bishops is about to announce a moratorium on consecrating English candidates to the Episcopate? Apparently the plan is to use the anniversary of Act of Union to generate some publicity.
There have certainly been thinly disguised calls for this measure at General Synod, though never an actual synod motion. There must be some question as to who has the authority to make the change – the bishops or the synod.
The story is that they are split over whether this should apply to people born that way or whether it applies to people with “English experience”. It is that old nature/nuture debate all over again.
I think dioceses should continue to be allowed to elect the best person for the job. Personally speaking, I’ve one parent from Scotland and one from England – presumably that makes me bi-national.
And would it, I wonder, depend on accent? Now that would be interesting ….
I’d heard that it was only people who committed English acts who were to be barred. Just being English is OK isn’t it?
Surely, such a move would be impossible. Think of all the added expence if all candidates had to be flown in from the States…
(though I dare say there’s another blog to be had in the contemplating of the phrase ‘English acts’. You might find that that EUCSA priests were the worst offenders.)
Would this be a plot to exclude those Scottish-born-and-bred clergy who dared to still use the errr, English Prayer Book? 🙂
Replace the word “English” with “Black” and see how it sounds then.
Bloody stupid idea in my opinion. Best person for the job is the only serious position
No, replace the word “English” with “Gay”…
In any Province of the Church which elects its bishops there will be a prejudice against the local candidate. That’s the way it was back in Canada. As long as you were from ‘out east’ the dioceses in British Columbia were interested in you and the local yokels who were running could go hang. I understood that A&O was going to reverse this trend and that the one local candidate in Aberdeen and Orkney was going to be a shoe-in. I’m generally surprised that there was competition from a Glasgow Evo and the Dean of Edinburgh. Now if a Nigerian were to run…….
What about replacing the word “English” with “Female”….
Black, white, gay straight, male, female – best person for the job still gets my vote.