Justin Welby’s successor needs to halve the ‘upstairs church’

In the film Conclave, Ralph Fiennes plays a cardinal trying to organise the election of a pope. The drama highlights the difficulties of choosing a religious leader with sufficiently broad appeal and no skeletons in the cupboard. To become pope requires a simple majority. A tougher two-thirds majority of the 17 voters is needed to become Archbishop of Canterbury.

As in the film, the tortuous selection process could end in the appointment of a relative unknown, with the attendant risks. So it was with Justin Welby in 2013. He had spent little more than a year as a bishop (Durham). Now we know how his appointment turned out.

The Church of England cannot afford another damaging public shaming, particularly concerning safeguarding. Leaving aside whether the right people are involved in the nomination process — over nine months — they need to reach the right result. The Church’s senior hierarchy, its policies, practices and culture are in a mess.

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