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Archbishop's duties to decrease

The Anglican Church is planning to hand over some of the global duties of the Archbishop of Canterbury to a "presidential" figure, it has been reported.

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Anglican Church to establish new role

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams has revealed to the Daily Telegraph that plans are being drawn up for a new role at the Anglican Church to oversee the day-to-day running of the Anglican Communion and its 77 million members.

I don't think I've got it right over the last 10 years, it might have helped a lot if I'd gone sooner to the United States when things began to get difficult about the ordination of gay bishops, and engaged more directly.

I know that I've, at various points, disappointed both conservatives and liberals.

Most of them are quite willing to say so, quite loudly.

It would be a very different communion, because the history is just bound up with that place, that office (Archbishop).

So there may be more of a sense of a primacy of honour, and less a sense that the Archbishop is expected to sort everything.

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Anglican Church to hand over some responsibilities to 'presidential' figure

The Anglican Church is planning to hand over some of the global duties of the Archbishop of Canterbury to a "presidential" figure, it has been reported.

Dr Rowan Williams, in an interview with the Daily Telegraph, said plans are being drawn up for a role to oversee the day-to-day running of the Anglican Communion and its 77 million members, leaving the Archbishop free to concentrate on leading the Church of England.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. Credit: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire/Press Association Images

The tenure of the Welsh-born Archbishop, who steps down after 10 years in December, has been marked by a bruising war between liberals and traditionalists in the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion over the issue of homosexuality, including the ordination of gay bishops.

There has also been a divisive row over female clergy.

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