Exclusive: Nominees for Archbishop of Perth

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Received from a well-placed source. I haven’t got a second confirmation of these names but I’m as close to 100% confident as I can be that these are the nominees to be the next Archbishop of Perth.

Edit. For clarity, there are some who have received the high honour of being nominated for this position who have yet to accept that nomination.

Here they are with a little information about each.

[raw]
[tabs style=”framed” nav=”pills” tab_1=”Peter Catt” tab_2=”Scott Cowdell” tab_3=”Tim Harris” tab_4=”Kay Goldsworthy” tab_5=”Chris Jones” tab_6=”Andrew McGowan” tab_7=”Bill Ray” tab_8=”Garry Weatherill”]
[tab_1]Dean of St John’s Cathedral Brisbane and President of A Progressive Voice.[/tab_1]
[tab_2]Theologian in Residence at All Saint’s Ainslie, Canberra. Adjunct research professor in theology at Charles Sturt University, canon theologian of the Canberra-Goulburn Diocese. Author of many books.

A Hybrid Divinity“[/tab_2]
[tab_3]Assistant bishop in Adelaide.  Blogger and Tweeter. Vice-Principal St Barnabas College[/tab_3]
[tab_4]Current bishop of Gippsland. Former assistant bishop in Perth. First woman to be consecrated bishop in Australia.[/tab_4]
[tab_5]Vicar General and assistant bishop in Tasmania.[/tab_5]
[tab_6]McFaddin Professor of Anglican Studies at Yale Divinity School and Dean and President of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. Formerly Warden of Trinity College, Melbourne. Blogs at St Ronan Street Diary.[/tab_6]
[tab_7]Bishop of the Diocese of North Queensland.[/tab_7]
[tab_8]Bishop of the Diocese of Ballarat.[/tab_8]
[/tabs]
[/raw]

 

This is quite an impressive list with some real heavyweights.

We noted back in 2014,

…there is every likelihood that the next man (or woman) in that position will be much more favourable towards revision [on the question of same-sex blessings]

From the list above there are a number that would certainly fall into that category and you should expect the new Archbishop to be one of the following:

  • Peter Catt
  • Scott Cowdell
  • Kay Goldsworthy
  • Andrew McGowan
  • Garry Weatherill

My money is on Goldsworthy. Despite the superior academic credentials of Cowdell and McGowan I think the lure of electing the first female Archbishop will be too much for the increasingly liberal Perth synod to resist.

According to the Diocese’s own rules [pdf], the Archbishop will be elected by at least seven of each the houses of the Nominations Committee of 20 persons (10 clergy, 10 lay).

We’ll keep you updated.

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This Post Has 5 Comments

  1. Andrew Reid

    Not surprisingly, the two people who would actually be quite good (Chris Jones and Tim Harris) have no chance of getting up. I’ve heard good things about Gary Weatherill too. Anglo-Catholic background but has worked well with evangelicals.

  2. scuttaj

    I am not going to break any commenting rules, but I believe this is highly irresponsible speculation from an outsider with agendas. The process is still ongoing.

    1. rexory

      David’s use of the Perth Diocesan logo and headings is a best provocative and more a breach of copyright. BTW, there is no list in reality.

      1. David Ould

        hi “Rexory”

        I’m confused. How is it either provocative or a breach of copyright to identify the Diocese of Perth in the way that they have chosen to make themselves known? Copyright breach would be using the logo for myself.

        As for the reality of the list, I’m afraid you are incorrect.

    2. richiejs

      “highly irresponsible speculation from an outsider with agendas”?

      This is so typical of the way “insiders”, mainly clergy add to the secretive culture of clericalism.

      What David has done is allow for healthy debate across Australia in regards to the issues facing the AC in Perth. David has run this Blog for years often having his articles quoted in mainstream Hard news sites SMH Newscorp ABC Online and others regarding multiple issues over the years. He has always applied Media ethics in both his articles and in a very careful editing of the comment stream. Although I may disagree with his theological positions at times, I am aware he is running an International Blog that is read widely across the Anglican spectrum.

      “An outsider with agendas.”

      The current situation across the country is that the Anglican Church is in terminal decline ( outside of Sydney) with small shoots of growth, but the statistics are trending downwards in the ” Liberal” wings of the Church. The “Anglo-Catholic” wing of the church has suffered bruising testimony from Newcastle Adelaide and Melbourne regarding its links with Morpeth College and a culture of cover up as exposed by the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse. Expert witness testimony has left all sections of the Church looking exposed to “outsiders with agendas” in this case the Australian public and the Federal Governments enquiry.

      Given the blistering testimony in the Case study into Newcastle again mainly from ” outsiders with agendas” in this case the Bishop of the Diocese and the Survivors who had been “outsiders with agendas for years” the Archbishop of Perth resigned.

      In fact, some coverage of the situation in Newcastle on this site concerning Rev Herfts resignation was widely posted across all areas of opinion, and I think in the Hard News press.

      “Outsiders with agendas” have a tremendous interest in looking at a process that replaces the previous Archbishop.

      Rev Herft is still awaiting possible adverse findings from the Royal Commission that may have internal disciplinary and external Civil and Criminal implications, many ” outsiders with agendas” regard the election process of a new Leader of the Diocese to have huge implications “outside” the internal theological rumblings within a shrinking Diocese.

      “Highly irresponsible.”

      How is adding to the debate by adding a list of names irresponsible? What would be irresponsible is to keep the process secretive and only linked to known power brokers and insiders.

      What David has done is allow good coverage and debate to flow from releasing his sources list of possible names for consideration and nomination.

      Perhaps this commentator could reconsider the “irresponsibility” of giving negative feedback to a well-regarded Writer and Journalist while also remaining ” anonymous” while possibly an insider to the debate?

      “Speculation” when it comes to journalistic sources is an easy way of shutting down debate.

      Sadly this comment is a reflection of the sad state of Anglicanism when open journalism is accused of being irresponsible.

      I can think of many situations where we all are ” outsiders with an agenda” indeed perhaps it could be said that a certain Carpenter ijn First Century Roman Judea was themselves a typical ” outsider with an agenda” whom certain Pharisees would have loved to have called ” highly irresponsible”.

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