More than just a figurehead

A new plan aims to strip the Archbishop of Canterbury of any real power or authority

“Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” WHILE ALERT TO THE possibility that this Margaret Thatcher quote could get you cancelled for all sorts of modern reasons, I open with it in order to discuss something far older — in fact the oldest office in continuous existence in the British state (apart, arguably, from the Crown): the Archbishopric of Canterbury. The See of Canterbury was founded in 597 by St Augustine. Wonderfully, there are a few surviving objects from that early mission to the English: a massive stone cathedra in Canterbury Cathedral; the Gospels St Augustine brought with him, most recently used at the King’s Coronation and an ivory crozier head, said to be from the episcopal staff of Pope…

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The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 2025

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