on the publication of 'Resourcing Archbishops' on Tuesday 28 May 2002

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, and the Archbishop of York, Dr David Hope, said:

"We are immensely grateful to Professor Mellows and his colleagues for their latest report 'Resourcing Archbishops.'

"They have produced, as we expected, a stimulating and challenging piece of work that we shall wish to study with the care and attention it deserves. We shall naturally wish to consult others and to invite views on the many recommendations the report contains.

"For now we would simply like to acknowledge the many supportive things the report has to say about our own work and about the staff who so loyally and ably serve us and our ministries.

"Taken together, this report and its predecessor, 'Resourcing Bishops', represent several years of intensive and painstaking work by Professor Mellows and his colleagues, all of whom already have great demands on their time and considerable talents. We do not take lightly the sacrifices they have made in order to produce these substantial reports.

"In the life of a Church that is "episcopally led", the work of archbishops and their brother bishops must be central. Professor Mellows and his colleagues have helped to bring fresh perspectives to our understanding of that reality and for that too we are immensely grateful."