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Concept
Archbishop of Canterbury
Summary
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justin Welby, who was enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral on 21 March 2013. Welby is the 105th person to hold the position, as part of a line of succession going back to the "Apostle to the English" Augustine of Canterbury, who was sent to the island by the church in Rome in 597. Welby succeeded Rowan Williams.
From the time of Augustine until the 16th century, the archbishops of Canterbury were in full communion with the See of Rome, and usually received the pallium from the Pope. The various prerogatives of Henry VIII, coupled with the spread of Protestantism on the continent ultimately culminated in the English Reformation, with the English state seizing leadership of the church and the right to appoint bishops, and breaking communion with Rome. Thomas Cranmer, one of the most important figures to the development of Anglicanism, became the first Protestant archbishop of Canterbury, being appointed by Henry VIII in 1533. After the brief reign of Henry's son Edward VI, his daughter Mary—a deeply committed Catholic—ascended to the throne, swiftly ushering in a brief restoration of Catholic rule in England, with Reginald Pole replacing Cranmer as archbishop in 1556. Pole would ultimately be the final Roman Catholic to hold the office, with Cranmer in turn being charged with heresy by the state for his role in the Reformation—ultimately being convicted, and executed by burning at the stake.
Before the modern era, there was a considerable variety in who appointed church offices, depending on era and political happenstance. Before the dissolution of the monasteries that occurred as part of the Reformation, the choice had often been made by the monks living in Canterbury Cathedral. At other times, the pope in Rome or the reigning monarch would fill the office.
Official source
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