The Church of England in Wales hs named its new leader – a lesbian woman. A decade or more ago, this might have gained some notoriety, maybe made headline news, but the only reason I know about it was that I follow Christian media, and even there it was greeted with a shrug and perhaps a giggle.
The fact is that the transgressive thrill is gone. The Church of England has been reduced to a parody, and one of the most telling details of its fall is the fact that the See of Canterbury remains vacant after seven months.
The importance of an office is directly proportional to the speed with which it is filled. Should the captain of a ship be incapacitated or killed, the first officer immediately assumes command. The same is true in government, where every executive position has some sort of understudy, whether a vice president, lieutenant governor of deputy.
The Catholic Church recognizes this, which is why the conclaves are so important an operate on such a compressed timetable. The Throne of St. Peter is no mere honorific or administrative post, but a vital element of the Church. It was interesting to see just how much international (and non-Catholic) attention the succession generated this past year.
And yet Canterbury remains sede vacante and no one notices.
I'm assuming that there is a behind-the-scenes debate going on – a return of orthodoxy or full speed ahead into radical paganism? The fact that the Global South excommunicated Canterbury may have opened some eyes. The Global Anglican Communion was the largest of the old state churches in the world, and yet the English establishment seems dead set on breaking it up.
A return to orthodoxy – assuming it is even possible – would result in a domestic backlash, and while it might heal the schism, the British Establishment is profoundly hostile to religion at the moment. And so the diversity appointments continue, Mass attendance dwindles, and time moves on.
Chateau Lloyd 
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