Wide-ranging recommendations designed to support and enhance the unique role of Archbishop of Canterbury at home and abroad are made in an unprecedented report published today (Thursday 6 September).

The report, To Lead and to Serve; A Review of the See of Canterbury, is the work of a team appointed in 1999 by the current Archbishop, Dr George Carey, and led by Lord Hurd of Westwell.

The first ever public review of its kind concludes that, although the demands of the office of Archbishop of Canterbury have intensified considerably, none of its functions should be discontinued. Instead, the report makes a series of recommendations designed to assist an Archbishop of Canterbury in focussing on those aspects of the office that he only can best address. In order to promote this goal, it recommends areas of greater devolution and delegation.

Recommendations include:

• Establishing priority for the strategic role of the Archbishop of Canterbury in the governance of the Church of England, with less engagement in detailed administration and management.
• Promoting the involvement of the Archbishop of York in Church of England governance and developing the national roles of senior bishops in specific areas.
• Enhancing support for the Archbishop of Canterbury as leader of the Anglican Communion, including by the appointment of a bishop from overseas who would be based at Lambeth Palace.
• Supporting the Archbishop of Canterbury by appointing a new style chief of staff (probably lay) at Lambeth Palace.

The Chairman of the review group, Lord Hurd, said: "This has been an exciting and rewarding undertaking for us all. So far from drying up as the years pass, the job of the Archbishop is overflowing. This is happening because of accumulated obligations at home, the growth of interfaith and ecumenical work, and above all the expectations of the thriving 38 Provinces of the Anglican Communion overseas. We suggest ways that make it easier for the Archbishop to carry out these tasks always remembering that he is not a chief executive but first and foremost a priest and pastor."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, said: "I am immensely grateful to Lord Hurd and his colleagues for their time, energy and insight. I shall of course consider their recommendations carefully and I have no doubt that their work will prove an important and invaluable contribution to the continuing and positive evolution of the office in which I have the great honour to serve."

Dr. Carey is inviting comments and observations on the report and its recommendations by the end of 2001.

Contained in the following ACNS bulletin [ACNS 2622] are:

a summary of the recommendations,
the formal terms of reference for the group and
a list of the membership of the review group.

The full text of the report is available as [ACNS 2618].

Comments and observations on the report should be sent in writing to:

The Chief of Staff, Lambeth Palace, London SE1 7JU