Aside from the monarch, that is.
It seems that England has room for more than one archdiocese, so what’s special about Canterbury? Did it have a higher status under the Catholic church before the English Reformation, or was it promoted to a special status after?
Until somebody with more knowledge comes along: there are two C of E Archdiocese in England - Canterbury and York - and Canterbury’s pre-eminence derives from its status before the split with Rome. Canterbury was the first See of the Catholic Church in England - founded by St Augustine in the 6th century.
Wikipedia gives a little of the historical background to the primacy of Canterbury:
On a related note, what’s the rule for the use of the “+” designator? I know I’ve seen Dr. Williams referred to as “+ Rowan”, “++ Rowan” and “+++ Rowan”. Is it a ranking system? “+” = bishop, “++” = archbishop, “+++” = Archbishop of Canterbury?
Were the various references to Dr Williams all recent? Or were some of them historical? Perhaps the rule is:
FWIW, I think Cunctator is giving the Catholic system w/r/t the cross-by-the-name thing. What I’ve seen among Anglicans (admittedly, only Sydneyans among Australians, which skews the picture) is +bishop, ++archbishop or primate (The Presiding Bishop in the U.S, and the Primus in Scotland are primates but not archbishops.)
Bottom line is: E2R has nothing to say or do with the CofE, other than as a communicant; she’s a figurehead, who rubberstamps nominations for bishop.
Rowan Williams functions as diocesan bishop for the diocese of Canterbury (most of Kent). as ordinand and final dispute resolution person for his archdiocese (England roughly south of the Trent), has certain prerogatives as opposed to the Abp. of York in certain formal settings – e.g., he gets to crown the monarch or celebrate certain royal hoohas – and is the honorary head of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
His total authority outside his archdiocese is of moral persuasion, not of authority.
Except one thing which has recently become important: he gets to decide who is in communion with him and who is not, and since that’s key to the organization of the Anglican Communion, it’s become important.
:eek:
I know CofE clergy aren’t required to be celibate, but REALLY!
No, I was just having a stab at explaining what the Anglicans do. Catholic usage, from what I’ve seen, is a single cross for all bishops. Even the Pope.
Okay, it may be an Aussie vs. American thing, or something that’s variable with the individual, then. Sorry for the hijack.
I’ve seen the Episcopal Presiding Bishop, diocesan bishops and even parish priests put a single + after their names. We’re pretty democratic that way.
That involves several related issues.
Firstly, there’s the issue as to why Canterbury, not London, became the metropolitan diocese of the province covering southern England. That’s mainly because Kent was converted by Augustine first. London was then controlled by the East Saxons, a point Gregory I probably hadn’t realised when he told Augustine to found a bishopric there, so by the time a bishop was appointed for London in 604, Augustine had already been serving as archbishop of Canterbury for seven years. Moreover, the undeniable fact that Augustine as archbishop of Canterbury had founded the bishopric of London and consecrated its first bishop was always Canterbury’s trump card whenever London tried to deny its primacy.
Secondly, there’s the issue as to why Canterbury has primatial jurisdiction over York. That was far more controversial and Canterbury’s claims were frequently challenged. This was a big political issue for several generations following the Norman Conquest. The argument was not finally settled until 1353 when Innocent VI ruled in Canterbury’s favour, but with a number of concessions to York, such as the right to use the title ‘Primate of England’ (as opposed to ‘Primate of all England’). Notoriously, Canterbury’s claims were heavily reliant on some of the most famous medieval ecclesiastical forgeries.
Canterbury also at various times claimed primacy over the whole British Isles. In the case of the church in Wales, this was accepted from the early twelfth century onwards until 1920. However, in Ireland, Armagh was generally able to resist the challenges from Canterbury to its own claims to primatial authority. The case of Scotland was more complicated. Quite apart from the obvious fact that the Scots had greater success in remaining politically independent from England, the Canterbury claim always had to compete with a rival claim to jurisdiction over Scotland from York. The two usually cancelled each other out.
If there’s any question in anybody’s mind about how Canterbury could retain its position without it becoming a logistical nightmare being physically separated from the capital, it was never all that far away. Sixty miles, along a route carved out by the Romans and used ever since, a day’s return journey on horseback if necessary. Watling Street, the Anglo-Saxon name, is still in places a major part of the road network today.
And also, the Archbishop maintained a London residence from quite early on; many of them spent more time there than at Canterbury.
Also, in later centuries, many of the officials employed to exercise the archbishop’s powers as metropolitan and primate, such as the Court of Arches, the High Court of Delegates, the Prerogative Court of Canterbury and the Court of Faculties, were based in London.
We should be careful about our St. Augustines. Augustine of Canterbury is the “Apostle to the English”. I only say this to ensure we do not confuse him with the more famous (at least here in the states) Augustine of Hippo, author of City of God and a Doctor of the Church.