The Church of England is to invite suggestions from the public on who should be the next Archbishop of Canterbury. (Yes, I know, this bypasses the question about whether there should be a new archbishop or an Anglican Church at all. But let’s not spoil the fun.

The general unbelieving public will probably not take part, other than to make improper suggestions in language unfamiliar to your local vicar. Most Christians who are not Anglicans won’t bother; evangelical Anglicans will shift uncomfortably in their seats because they quote the Bible verse that says “Christ is the head of the church” rather than the King, even if, or especially if, he passes the role down to, say, Jacob Rees-Mogg. Catholics won’t bother because their pope is the successor of St Peter and is elected by a bunch of cardinals who claim to be guided by God. The current pope, Francisco, had no illusions about who chose him. As the smoke rose from the chimney above the Cistine Chapel after the vote, he apparently turned to his fellow cardinals and said, “May God forgive you!” As for the King having the final say, at least once under Thatcher’s governments she vetoed the church’s choice. I suppose he “wasn’t one of us”!
We should look for nothing but fun from this charade. The only alternative is to be violently sick!