Martyn Snow, bishop of Leicester, has tried to steer a course through the tricky terrain of church teaching and sexuality, saying he believed marriage must be between a man and a woman. Since then he has become the lead bishop of Living in Love and Faith, the church’s effort to increase LGBTQ acceptance, and voted for same-sex blessings while still maintaining that marriage is for heterosexual couples. Snow’s ability to navigate this challenge has led many to think he’s got what it takes for Canterbury.
Candidates from the Anglican Communion’s Global South have been mentioned, though the person would both have to adapt to leading an English diocese and join the House of Lords, a tall order for a newcomer. The archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, Thabo Makgoba, was thought to have what it takes, but he too became embroiled in the abuse scandal that was Welby’s undoing.
Even if an overseas candidate is not chosen, the Anglican Communion representatives on the search committee may well look for a U.K. native who offers clarity on personal morality.
Finding a candidate who can find a way through this ecclesial maze may seem like a mission impossible, but they are the stuff of the committee’s deliberations for the next few months.
For all its troubles, the Church of England made “Living Hope” the theme of this year’s Lent and Easter, and it’s not difficult to find optimists among leadership and ordinary churchgoers, who showed up undaunted on Easter Sunday.
“We don’t normally do predictions,” a church spokesman told RNS, “but one indicator could be the spike in searches on our church-finder site AChurchNearYou. Amazingly, it has seen a 55% increase in page views in the last year, totaling just short of 200 million.”
This article originally appeared here.
