CHURCH NEWS
Canterbury snails…
THE gap between the death of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV was a mere 17 days, and that included a funeral. In contrast, it’s now almost seven months since Justin Welby announced his resignation as Archbishop of Canterbury, and there’s no hint of white smoke from the chimney at Lambeth Palace.
The Anglican equivalent of the Conclave is the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC), which is required to recommend a successor to the prime minister, who will then take the name to the king for final approval. The 17-person commission will be chaired by Lord Evans of Weardale, a former director of MI5, and its proceedings are arcane and secretive.