Public invited to suggest candidates for next archbishop

The public is being invited to suggest candidates for the next Archbishop of Canterbury following Justin Welby's resignation.

Mr Welby left the Church of England's most senior role in January after a damning report into a prolific child abuser associated with the Church.

His replacement will be the 106th appointment to the role, the incumbent of which is the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Church.

Historically, candidates already hold senior leadership positions in ministry in the Church or elsewhere in the Anglican Communion. They must be aged at least 30 and are generally younger than 70.

Names can be submitted to the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC), the body charged with nominating the new archbishop.

The Church said the consultation, which runs until 28 March, was "an opportunity to gather the views of a wide range of people from across England and the Anglican Communion on the gifts, qualities and skills needed" for the role.

There will be no advert to which anyone can put their name forward to, with possible candidates instead "invited in" to the process.

People can submit their views on the Church of England website.

The 20-member CNC panel that will select the next Archbishop of Canterbury has yet to be formalised. For the first time it will include five members based in the Anglican Church abroad.

It will meet in May, July and September to "pray, reflect and nominate a candidate" and the chosen individual will require the votes of two-thirds of the 17 voting members.

The name will then be given to the prime minster who will take it to the King for approval.

Mr Welby resigned over the Church's handling of a sadistic abuser, John Smyth, who a report said had perpetrated brutal sexual, physical and mental abuse against more than 120 boys and young men since the late 1970s.

The report said Mr Welby had "personal and moral responsibility" and that he "could and should have done more" in the case.

After initially resisting calls to step down, he resigned on 12 November saying he was doing so "in sorrow with all victims and survivors of abuse".

But in early December, abuse victims reacted with "disgust" at a short farewell speech Mr Welby gave at the House of Lords, in which he made jokes. Mr Welby apologised the following day.

Before leaving the role he did not give a Christmas Day sermon at Canterbury Cathedral and did not broadcast a New Year's Day message, as he usually would through the BBC.