The Archbishop of Canterbury’s role explained

What does the Archbishop of Canterbury do?

Justin Welby holds the highest role in the Church of England and he is regarded as the nation’s leading spiritual voice.

The archbishop is known as the “Primate of All England” – a traditional title that essentially means he oversees the country’s 13,000 parishes.

He is also the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, bringing together Christian communities around the world.

Is the role of the archbishop important if you are not a christian?

Yes, definitely. The role comes with a guaranteed seat in the House of Lords, one of 26 places reserved for archbishops and bishops in the upper chamber.

There have been calls for reform of the system, particularly after Mr Welby was viewed as becoming increasingly political when he attacked plans to deport illegal migrants to Rwanda as “morally unacceptable”.

Why is Justin Welby leaving?

The archbishop announced in November that he would be stepping down after a backlash over his failings in dealing with John Smyth, the most prolific serial abuser linked to the Church. The independent Makin review found Smyth might have been brought to justice sooner had Mr Welby formally reported him to police in 2013.

Who is taking on the role?

The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, is due to take on many of the official functions temporarily from January 6.

But the second-most senior bishop’s position has been called into question after a BBC investigation claimed that while in a previous role, he had let priest David Tudor stay in post despite knowing Tudor had both been barred by the Church from being alone with children and paid compensation to a sexual abuse victim.

How will a successor be chosen?

The King is Supreme Governor of the Church of England but since 1976 the Church has been more directly involved in choosing the archbishop through the Crown Nominations Commission.

Representatives from Asia, America, Africa, Europe, and Australia will have a vote and a majority of those must be from ethnic groups that are not white British or other white groups.