Archbishop Coggan to Step Down in January
Episcopal News Service. June 7, 1979 [79191]
LONDON -- Anglican Archbishop Donald Coggan of Canterbury and Primate of the Church of England, has announced that he will resign in January.
Archbishop Coggan, who will be 70 in October, will retire on Jan. 26, 1980, the fifth anniversary of his enthronement. His resignation was announced by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's office.
Anglican bishops in England must retire by age 70 but there is no compulsory retirement age for archbishops. Archbishop Coggan's predecessor, Michael Ramsey, also retired at age 70.
According to the manner of computation, there are from 48 to 65 million Anglicans worldwide. The Anglican Communion, of which the Archbishop of Canterbury is spiritual leader, includes the Church of England, the Anglican Church of Canada, the Episcopal Church and 26 other regional or national Churches.
Archbishop Coggan will retire with a life peerage, so that he will be able to sit in the House of Lords.
The next Archbishop of Canterbury will not be selected by government officials only as in the past. Under a new system, established in 1977, a Crown Appointments Commission, consisting of 16 members, will send its choice to the Prime Minister who, in turn, will make a recommendation to Queen Elizabeth who is temporal head of the Church of England. The formal appointment is made by the Queen.
Most frequently mentioned successor to the Canterbury post is Archbishop Stuart Blanch of York who is second to Archbishop Coggan in the Anglican hierarchy. Both Archbishop Ramsey and Coggan were elevated to Canterbury from York.
Other names mentioned in the press as possible successor include: Bishop Bowlby of Newcastle, 52; Bishop John Habgood of Durham, 52; Bishop Graham Leonard of Truro, 58; Bishop Robert Runcie of St. Albans, 57; and Bishop David Sheppard of Liverpool, 50.