Archbishop_of_Canterbury

{{Anglicanism}}
The '''Archbishop of Canterbury''' is the senior bishop and principal leader of the [[Church of England]], as well as the symbolic head of the worldwide [[Anglican Communion]]. The present archbishop is [[Rowan Williams]].

Williams is the 104th in the [[list of Archbishops of Canterbury]], in a line that goes back more than 1400 years to the first, [[Augustine of Canterbury|Saint Augustine of Canterbury]], who founded the [[Diocese|see]], the oldest in England, in the year 597.

Along with the Church of England as a whole, the Archbishops of Canterbury were in communion with the [[Holy See|See of Rome]] until the [[English Reformation]], around 1534, when the independence of the English Church was established.

==Present roles and status==
Today the archbishop fills four main roles:

#He is the diocesan [[bishop]] of the [[Diocese of Canterbury]], which covers [[East Kent|the east]] of the County of [[Kent]]. Founded in 597, it is the oldest [[episcopal see|see]] in the English church.
#He is the [[metropolitan bishop|metropolitan archbishop]] of the [[Province of Canterbury]], which covers the southern two-thirds of [[England]].
#As '''[[Primate (religion)|Primate]] of All England''', he is the chief religious figure in the Church of England (the [[British monarchy|British sovereign]] is the "[[Supreme Governor of the Church of England|Supreme governor]]" of the church) and its primary leader. Along with his colleague the [[Archbishop of York]] he chairs the [[General Synod of the Church of England|General Synod]] and sits or chairs many of the church's important boards and committees; power in the church is not highly centralised, however, so the two archbishops can often lead only through persuasion. The Archbishop of Canterbury plays a central part in national ceremonies such as [[coronation of the British monarch|coronations]]; thanks to his high public profile, his opinions are often in demand by the [[news media]].
#As spiritual leader of the [[Anglican Communion]], the archbishop, although without legal authority outside England, is recognised by convention as ''[[primus inter pares]]'' ("first among equals") of all [[Anglican]] [[primate (religion)|primates]] worldwide. Since 1867 he has convened more or less decennial meetings of worldwide Anglican bishops, the [[Lambeth Conferences]].

In respect of the last two of these functions, he has an important [[ecumenical]] and [[interfaith]] role, speaking on behalf of Anglicans in England and worldwide.
[[Image:Rowan Williams - by Brian.jpg|thumb|left|115px|The current Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.]]
The Archbishop's main residence is [[Lambeth Palace]] in the [[London Borough of Lambeth]]. He also has lodgings in the Old Palace, [[Canterbury]], located beside [[Canterbury Cathedral]], where [[The Chair of St. Augustine]] sits.

As holder of one of the "five great sees" (along with those of [[Archbishop of York|York]], [[Bishop of London|London]], [[Bishop of Durham|Durham]] and [[Bishop of Winchester|Winchester]]), the Archbishop of Canterbury is ''ex officio'' one of the [[Lords Spiritual]] of the [[House of Lords]]. He is one of the highest-ranking men in England, ranking directly below the Royal Family.

Since [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] broke with [[Rome]], the Archbishops of Canterbury have been selected by the English (latterly British) monarch. Today the choice is made in the name of the Sovereign by the prime minister, from a shortlist of two selected by an ad-hoc committee called the [[Crown Nominations Commission]]. Since the twentieth century, the appointment of Archbishops of Canterbury conventionally alternates between [[Anglo-Catholics]] and [[Evangelicals]].

The current archbishop, the Most Reverend and Right Honourable [[Rowan Williams|Rowan Douglas Williams]], is the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury. He was enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral on [[27 February]] [[2003]]. As archbishop he signs himself as ''+ Rowan Cantuar''. Immediately prior to his appointment to Canterbury he was the [[Bishop of Monmouth]] in Wales. Whilst at Monmouth he was later, for a shorter period, also the [[Archbishop of Wales]].

===Additional roles===
In addition to his office, the Archbishop also holds a number of other positions; for example, he is Joint President of [[the Council of Christians and Jews]] in the UK. Some positions he formally holds ''[[ex officio]]'' and others virtually so (the incumbent of the day, although appointed personally, is appointed because of his office). Amongst these are:<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldreg/reg06.htm| title = Register of Lords' interests | accessdate = 2007-08-15 | publisher = [[House of Lords]]}}</ref>

*[[Chancellor (education)|Chancellor]] of [[Canterbury Christ Church University]]<ref name="arch">{{cite web |url=http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/News/newsRelease.asp?newspk=597 |title=Archbishop installed as first Chancellor |publisher=[[Canterbury Christ Church University]]|date=[[2005-12-12]] |accessdate=2008-08-07}}</ref>

*[[Visitor]] for the following academic institutions:
**The [[University of Kent]] (whose main campus is located at [[Canterbury]])
**[[King's College London]]
**[[University of King's College]]
**[[All Souls College, Oxford]]
**[[Keble College, Oxford]]
**[[Merton College, Oxford]]
**[[Ridley Hall, Cambridge]]
**[[Selwyn College, Cambridge]]
**[[Wycliffe Hall, Oxford]] (also Patron)

{{Christianity}}
*Visitor of the following schools
**[[Benenden School]]
**[[Cranbrook School, Kent|Cranbrook School]]
**[[Haileybury and Imperial Service College]]
**[[Harrow School]]
**[[King's College School|King's College School, Wimbledon]]
**[[The King's School, Canterbury]]
**[[St. John's School, Leatherhead]]
**[[Marlborough College]]

*Governor of [[Charterhouse School]]
*Governor of [[Wellington College, Berkshire|Wellington College]]

*Visitor, [[Dulwich Estate|The Dulwich Charities]]
*Visitor, [[Whitgift Foundation]]
*Visitor, [[Hospital of the Blessed Trinity, Guildford (Abbot's Fund)]]
*Trustee, [[Bromley and Sheppard's College]]
*Trustee, [[Allchurches Trust]]
*President, [[Corporation of Church House]]
*Joint President, [[Historic Churches Preservation Trust]]
*Director, [[Canterbury Diocesan Board of Finance]]

==Origins==
[[Image:Angl-Canterbury-Arms.svg|thumb|left|150px|Arms of the [[episcopal see|see]] of Canterbury]]
Records suggest that the Roman Britons had three archbishops, seated in [[London]], [[York]], and [[Caerleon]], an ancient city of South Wales. However, in the fifth and sixth centuries the country was overrun by the pagan [[Anglo-Saxons]]. Of the kingdoms they set up there, [[Kingdom of Kent|Kent]] had the closest ties to European trade and culture due to the fact that it was so conveniently sited for communication with the continent. Its king, [[Ethelbert of Kent|Ethelbert]], had married a Christian Frankish princess named Bertha several years before the arrival of the first Christian mission to England. <ref><http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02519a.htm</ref>

The first Archbishop of Canterbury was Saint [[Augustine of Canterbury|Augustine]] who arrived in [[Kent]] in 597, sent by [[Pope]] [[Gregory the Great]] on a mission to the English. He was accepted by King Ethelbert, on his conversion to Christianity, about the year 598. Since then the Archbishops of Canterbury have been referred to as occupying the [[Chair of St. Augustine]].

Before the break with Papal authority in the 16th century, the Church of England was an integral part of the continental Western European Church. Since the break the Church of England, an established national church, still considers itself part of the broader Western Catholic tradition as well as being the "mother church" of the worldwide Anglican Communion, though no longer in communion with the See of Rome.

== Province and Diocese==
The Archbishop of Canterbury exercises metropolitical (or supervisory) jurisdiction over the [[Province of Canterbury]], which encompasses thirty of the forty-four dioceses of the Church of England. (The remaining fourteen dioceses, in northern England, fall within the Province of York.) The four dioceses of Wales were formerly also under the Province of Canterbury but in 1920 the Welsh dioceses transferred from the established Church of England to the disestablished [[Church in Wales]].

[[Image:CanterburyCathedral.png|thumb|left|225px|View of [[Canterbury Cathedral]] from the north west circa 1890-1900.]]
The Archbishop of Canterbury has a ceremonial provincial ''curia'', or court, consisting of some of the senior bishops of his province.<ref>{{PDFlink|[http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/events/EnthronementofRW2003.pdf Order of Service from the Enthronement of the 104th Archbishop in 2003]|251 [[Kibibyte|KiB]]}}</ref> The [[Bishop of London]]—the most senior cleric of the Church with the exception of the two Archbishops—serves as Canterbury's Provincial [[Dean (Church)|Dean]], the [[Bishop of Winchester]] as [[Chancellor (ecclesiastical)|Chancellor]], the [[Bishop of Lincoln]] as Vice-Chancellor, the [[Bishop of Salisbury]] as [[Precentor]], the [[Bishop of Worcester]] as [[Chaplain]] and the [[Bishop of Rochester]] as [[crucifer|Cross-Bearer]].

Along with [[Primacy of Canterbury|primacy over the Archbishop of York]], the Archbishop of Canterbury also has a precedence of honour over the other archbishops of the Anglican Communion. He is recognised as ''primus inter pares'', or first amongst equals. The Archbishop of Canterbury, however, does not exercise any direct authority in the provinces outside England.

The Archbishop at the present time has four [[suffragan]] bishops:
*The [[Bishop of Dover]] is given the additional title of "Bishop in Canterbury" and empowered to act almost as if he were the [[diocesan bishop]] of the [[Diocese of Canterbury]], since the Archbishop is so frequently away fulfilling national and international duties.
*The [[Bishop of Maidstone]] is a second assistant working in the diocese.
*Two further suffragans, the [[Bishop of Ebbsfleet]] and the [[Bishop of Richborough]], are [[provincial episcopal visitor]]s for the whole [[Province of Canterbury]], licensed by the Archbishop as "flying bishops" to visit parishes throughout the province who are uncomfortable with the ministrations of their local bishop who has participated in the ordination of women.

== Style and privileges ==
Both the Archbishops of Canterbury and York are styled "The Most Reverend"; retired Archbishops as "The Right Reverend". Archbishops are, by convention, appointed to the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]], and may therefore also use "[[The Right Honourable]]" for life (unless they are later removed from the Council). In formal documents, the Archbishop of Canterbury is referred to as "The Most Reverend Father in God, [[Given name|Forenames]], by Divine Providence Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England and Metropolitan". In debates in the House of Lords, the Archbishop is referred to as "The Most Reverend Primate, the Archbishop of Canterbury". "The Right Honourable" is not used in either instance. He may also be formally addressed as "Your Grace" - or, more often these days, simply as "Archbishop", "Father" or (in the current instance) "Dr Williams".
[[Image:Lambeth Palace London 240404.jpg|thumbnail|left|300px|The Archbishop of Canterbury's official [[London]] residence is [[Lambeth Palace]], photographed looking east across the [[River Thames]].]]

The surname of the Archbishop of Canterbury is not used in formal documents; only the forenames and see are mentioned. The Archbishop is legally permitted to sign his name as "Cantuar" (from the [[Latin]] for Canterbury). He shares the right to use only a title in the signature with the Archbishop of York, other bishops, and [[Peers of the Realm]].

In the [[United Kingdom order of precedence|order of precedence]], the Archbishop of Canterbury is ranked above all individuals in the realm, with the exception of the Sovereign and members of the Royal Family. Immediately below him is the [[Lord Chancellor]], and then the Archbishop of York.

The Archbishop of Canterbury's official residence in London is [[Lambeth Palace]]. Until the 19th century, the Archbishops also had major residences at [[Croydon Palace]] and [[Addington Palace]]. There are the ruins of a Palace at [[Otford]]. The Archbishops also had a Palace in Maidstone Kent - now called the Archbishop's Palace.

== See also ==
*[[List of Archbishops of Canterbury]]
*[[Religion in the United Kingdom]]
*[[Accord of Winchester]]

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
*[http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/ Archbishop of Canterbury's official website]
*''[http://books.google.com/books?id=uOsAAAAAMAAJ&pgis=1 The Archbishopric of Canterbury, from Its Foundation to the Norman Conquest]'', by John William Lamb", Published 1971, Faith Press

[[Category:Church of England]]
[[Category:Anglicanism]]
[[Category:Christian religious leaders]]
[[Category:Christianity in Kent]]
[[Category:Canterbury]]
[[Category:Primates of the Church of England|Canterbury]]
[[Category:Episcopacy in Anglicanism]]
[[Category:Anglican ecclesiastical offices]]
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[[Category:People associated with the University of Kent]]
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[[Category:Archbishops of Canterbury| ]]
[[cy:Archesgob Caergaint]]
[[de:Erzbischof von Canterbury]]
[[el:Αρχιεπίσκοπος του Καντέρμπουρυ]]
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{{Anglican Bishops & Archbishops - Great Britain}}
{{Archbishops of Canterbury}}