Who takes over from Eames?

Who takes over from Eames?
Belfast Telegraph, United Kingdom – also No new leader for C of I before February
Sunday Business Post, Ireland

When Archbishop Robin Eames dramatically announcement his retirement as Church of Ireland Primate to the General Synod this week he said: "I have still seven months to serve, and I have not gone away."

His Primacy will be busy until he relinquishes his post on December 31, but speculation has begun about a possible successor.

The front-runner could be the experienced Archbishop of Dublin, Dr John Neill, who has the constitutional right to "first refusal" of the leadership, although this week he made it clear in Armagh that his position was not yet determined.

He did indicate that the succession would be decided early next year, following Archbishop Eames' retirement.

Archbishop Neill has many strong claims. He is a heavyweight within the Church of Ireland as leader of the Southern Province, and he is a respected figure in the worldwide Anglican Comminion. He also has the authority and style to lead the Church of Ireland, and at 60 he would have several years of effective service ahead of him in Armagh.

On the downside, however, he has little direct experience of the type of Northern Ireland affairs that political and church leaders are required to master in a short time.

Neill is also a relative unknown to many rank and file clergy in the north, and he would need to gain their confidence and respect quickly.

His decision may depend on whether or not he is prepared to uproot family, social, and professional ties in Dublin to move north, and whether he is prepared to undertake the considerable challenges of the leadership of the entire Church.

If he decides not to accept the Primacy, there is no obvious successor.

Another likely leading candidate would be the Bishop of Kilmore, Elphin and Ardagh, the Rt Reverend Ken Clarke, an Ulsterman with wide experience ranging from Latin America to Northern Ireland and the Republic. He has the requisite experience of living and serving in both parts of Ireland, and would inspire respect and confidence in both jurisdictions.

In effect, any one of the current bishops is eligible, and each has his particular talents.

The Bishop of Down and Dromore the Rt Rev Harold Miller is a strong personality with good media skills on the evangelical wing of the Church.

His Northern colleague the Rt Rev Alan Harper, Bishop of Connor, is regarded as a safe pair of hands, and could be a compromise choice, though some feel he might need to sharpen his presentation.

The Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, the Rt Rev Ken Good, is also a possible contender who has spoken out clearly, particularly on issues affecting his cross-border diocese.

Bishop Michael Jackson from Clogher is a noted scholar with impeccable contacts in the Church of England, including the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, and the Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu, who visited the Clogher Diocese recently.

It is felt that he, too, would need to develop his communication skills in the age of the mass media.

In the Republic the contenders might include the larger than life Bishop of Cork, the Rt Rev Paul Colton, who has some experience of the North, and the Bishop of Meath and Kildare the Rt Rev Richard Clarke, who served as a curate in Holywood and is one of the clear thinkers in the Church.

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