The seniorprimate and chief religious figure of the Church of England (theBritish sovereign is thesupreme governor of the church). Along with their colleague thearchbishop of York they chair theGeneral Synod and sits on or chair 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 ascoronations; due to their high public profile, their opinions are often in demand by the news media.
Spiritual leader of theAnglican Communion. The archbishop, although without legal authority outside England, is recognised by convention asprimus inter pares ("first among equals") of all Anglicanprimates worldwide. Since 1867 the archbishop has convened approximately decennial meetings of worldwide Anglican bishops, theLambeth Conferences.
In the last two of these functions, they have an importantecumenical andinterfaith role, speaking on behalf of Anglicans in England and worldwide.
SinceHenry VIII broke withRome, the archbishops of Canterbury have been selected by the English (British since theAct of Union in 1707) monarch. Since the 20th century, the appointment of archbishops of Canterbury conventionally alternates betweenAnglo-Catholics andEvangelicals.[9]
The previous archbishop,Justin Welby, was the 105th holder of the office; he was enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral on 21 March 2013. As archbishop he signed himself as+ Justin Cantuar. On 12 November 2024, he announced his decision to resign;[10] he did so effective 7 January 2025.[1]
Two other former archbishops were living as of 2025[update]:George Carey (born 1935), the 103rd archbishop; andRowan Williams (born 1950), the 104th archbishop.
In addition to their office, the archbishop holds a number of other positions; for example, they are joint president of theCouncil of Christians and Jews in the United Kingdom. Some positions they formally holdex officio and others virtually so (the incumbent of the day, although appointed personally, is appointed because of their office). Amongst these are:[11]
The archbishop is also a president ofChurches Together in England (anecumenical organisation).[14]Geoffrey Fisher, 99th archbishop of Canterbury, was the first since 1397 to visit Rome, where he held private talks withPope John XXIII in 1960. In 2005, Rowan Williams became the first archbishop of Canterbury to attend a papal funeral since the Reformation. He also attended the inauguration ofPope Benedict XVI. The 101st archbishop,Donald Coggan, was the first to attend a papal inauguration, that ofPope John Paul II in 1978.[15]
Since 2002, the archbishop has co-sponsored theAlexandria Middle East Peace process with theGrand Mufti of Egypt. In July 2008, the archbishop attended a conference of Christians, Jews and Muslims convened by theking of Saudi Arabia at which the notion of the "clash of civilizations" was rejected. Delegates agreed "on international guidelines for dialogue among the followers of religions and cultures."[16] Delegates said that "the deepening of moral values and ethical principles, which are common denominators among such followers, would help strengthen stability and achieve prosperity for all humans."[17]
Arms of thesee of Canterbury. Nearly 500 years after theReformation, the arms still depict thepallium, a symbol of the authority of the Pope and metropolitan archbishops.
It has been suggested that theRoman province ofBritannia had four archbishops, seated atLondinium (London),Eboracum (York),Lindum Colonia (Lincoln) andCorinium Dobunnorum (Cirencester).[18] However, in the 5th and 6th centuries Britannia began to be overrun bypagan,Germanic peoples who came to be known collectively as theAnglo-Saxons. Of the kingdoms they created,Kent arguably had the closest links with European politics, trade and culture, because it was conveniently situated for communication withcontinental Europe. In the late 6th century, KingÆthelberht of Kent married a ChristianFrankish princess namedBertha, possibly before becoming king, and certainly a number of years before the arrival of the first Christian mission to England.[19] He permitted the preaching of Christianity.[20]
The first archbishop of Canterbury was SaintAugustine of Canterbury (not to be confused with SaintAugustine of Hippo), who arrived in Kent in 597 AD, having been sent byPope Gregory I on a mission to the English. He was accepted byKing Æthelbert, on his conversion to Christianity, about the year 598. It seems that Pope Gregory, ignorant of recent developments in the former Roman province, including the spread of thePelagian heresy, had intended the new archiepiscopal sees for England to be established in London and York.[21] In the event, Canterbury was chosen instead of London, owing to political circumstances.[22] Since then the archbishops of Canterbury have been referred to as occupying theChair of St. Augustine.
A gospel book believed to be directly associated with St Augustine's mission survives in theParker Library, Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge, England. Catalogued as CambridgeManuscript 286, it has been positively dated to 6th-century Italy and this bound book, theSt Augustine Gospels, is still used during the swearing-in ceremony of new archbishops of Canterbury.
Before the break with papal authority in the 16th century, the Church of England was an integral part of theWestern European church. Since the break the Church of England, anestablished national church, still considers itself part of the broader Western Catholic tradition (although this is not accepted by the Roman Catholic Church which regards Anglicanism as schismatic[23] and does not accept Anglican holy orders as valid) as well as being the "mother church" of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
TheReport of the Commissioners appointed by his Majesty to inquire into the Ecclesiastical Revenues of England and Wales (1835) noted the net annual revenue for the Canterbury see was £19,182.[24]
The archbishop of Canterbury exercises metropolitical (or supervisory) jurisdiction over theProvince of Canterbury, which encompasses thirty of the forty-two dioceses of the Church of England, with the rest falling within theProvince of York. The four Welsh dioceses were also under the province of Canterbury until 1920 when they were transferred from theestablished church of England to thedisestablished Church in Wales.
Along withprimacy over the archbishop of York, the archbishop of Canterbury also has a precedence of honour over the other bishops of the Anglican Communion. They are recognised asprimus inter pares, or first amongst equals. They do not, however, exercise any direct authority in the provinces outside England, except in certain minor roles dictated by Canon in those provinces (for example, they are the judge in the event of an ecclesiastical prosecution against the archbishop of Wales). They do holdmetropolitical authority over severalextra-provincial Anglican churches, and they serve asex officiobishop of the Falkland Islands.
Thebishop of Dover is given the additional title of "bishop in Canterbury" and empowered to act almost as if the bishop of Dover were thediocesan bishop of theDiocese of Canterbury, since the archbishop is so frequently away fulfilling national and international duties.
Two further suffragans, thebishop of Ebbsfleet and thebishop of Richborough, areprovincial episcopal visitors for the wholeProvince of Canterbury, licensed by the archbishop as "flying bishops" to provide oversight throughout the province to parishes which for conscience' sake cannot accept that women can be ordained in the Sacrament of Ordination in the Church of England.
Thebishop of Maidstone provides alternative episcopal oversight for the province of Canterbury for particular members who take a conservative evangelical view of male headship. On 23 September 2015,Rod Thomas was consecrated bishop of Maidstone.[26] Previously the bishop of Maidstone was an actual suffragan bishop working in the diocese, until it was decided at the diocesan synod of November 2010 that a new bishop would not be appointed.[27]
The archbishops of Canterbury and York are both styled as "The Most Reverend"; retired archbishops are styled as "The Right Reverend". The archbishop is, by convention, appointed to thePrivy Council and may, therefore, also use the style of "The Right Honourable" for life, unless later removed from the council. In formal documents, the archbishop of Canterbury is referred to as "The Most ReverendForenames, 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. They may also be formally addressed as "Your Grace" or, more informally, as "Archbishop".
The surname of the archbishop of Canterbury is not always used in formal documents; often only the first name and see are mentioned. The archbishop is legally entitled to sign their name as "Cantuar" (theLatin for Canterbury). The right to use a title as a legal signature is only permitted to bishops,peers of the Realm and peers by courtesy.[citation needed] Justin Welby as archbishop of Canterbury usually signed as "+Justin Cantuar:".
The Archbishop of Canterbury's official London residence and office isLambeth Palace, photographed looking east across theRiver Thames
The archbishop of Canterbury's official residence and office in London isLambeth Palace. They also have an apartment within theOld Palace, next toCanterbury Cathedral which incorporates some 13th-century fabric of the medieval Archbishop's Palace.
Former seats of the archbishops include:
Croydon Palace: the summer residence of the archbishops from the 15th to the 18th centuries.
Addington Palace: purchased as a replacement for Croydon Palace in 1807; sold in 1897.
Archbishop's Palace, Maidstone: constructed in the 1390s, the palace was seized by the Crown at the time of the Reformation.
Archbishop's Palace, Charing: a palace existed from at least the 13th century; seized by the Crown after the Dissolution. Remnants survive as a farmhouse.
Knole House: built by Archbishop Bourchier in the second half of the 15th century, it was forfeited to the Crown by Archbishop Cranmer in 1538.
From 1660 to 1902, all the archbishops of Canterbury died in office. In 1928, two years before his death, Randall Davidson became the first to voluntarily resign his office. All his successors except William Temple (who died in office in 1944) have also resigned their office before death.
Until 2013, all archbishops who retired were immediately givenpeerages: initially hereditary baronies (although both recipients of such titles died without male heirs and so their titles became extinct on their deaths), andlife peerages after the enactment of theLife Peerages Act 1958. Such titles have allowed retired archbishops to retain the seats in theHouse of Lords which they heldex officio before their retirement. Justin Welby, who retired in January 2025, has not yet[update] received a peerage.
^Niles, D. Preman (1989).Resisting the threats to life: covenanting for justice, peace, and the integrity of creation. Geneva: WCC Publications.ISBN9782825409640.
^Wacher, J.,The Towns of Roman Britain, Batsford, 1974, especially pp. 84–86.
