[Church in Wales] The Electoral College of the Church in Wales will meet at St. Pierre Church and Hotel in Chepstow on July 29 to choose the 15th archbishop of Wales. The college can take up to three days to elect an archbishop.
This election follows the retirement of the bishop of Bangor, the Rt. Rev. Andrew John, who held the office of archbishop of Wales for three and a half years. His successor will be chosen from among the serving Welsh diocesan bishops — St. Asaph Bishop Gregory Cameron, Monmouth Bishop Cherry Vann, Swansea and Brecon Bishop John Lomas, Llandaff Bishop Mary Stallard and St. David’s Bishop Dorrien Davies.
Those making the decision represent churches across Wales. Each of the six dioceses elects three clerics and three lay people to the college, and the bishops are also members. Cameron, as the senior bishop, is the college president.
The meeting will begin with Holy Communion at St. Peter’s Church, which is on the St. Pierre estate. Following that, college members will meet for confidential discussions on the needs of the province.
After discussion and a period of prayer and reflection, the president will call for nominations. The bishops who are nominated then withdraw from the discussion, only returning to vote. A nominee must achieve two-thirds of the votes of the college in order to be elected archbishop. If after a vote is taken no candidate receives the necessary votes, the process begins again with fresh nominations, which may or may not include those who had been nominated in the previous round.
Once the archbishop is elected, an announcement is made. The normal practice is for the bishop to confirm his or her election immediately. The new archbishop will be enthroned in his or her home cathedral at a later date.
If the college fails to elect an archbishop within three days, the decision passes to the Bench of Bishops.