Spiritual peer

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The Spiritual Peers of the United Kingdom, also called Lords Spiritual, include the twenty-six clergymen of the established Church of England who serve in the House of Lords. The Church of Scotland, the character of which is Presybeterian, is not represented by spiritual peers. There Anglican Churches in Wales and Northern Ireland, not being established churches, are not represented either.

Table of contents

1 Ranks and Titles
2 Appointment
3 References

Ranks and Titles

The Church of England is comprised of a total of forty-four dioceses, including two archdioceses. The Diocese of Sodor and Man (the Isle of Man) and the Diocese of Gibraltar (Continental Europe) fall outside the United Kingdom. Thirty dioceses fall within the Province of Canterbury, which is led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the most senior clergyman of the Church. The remaining fourteen fall within the Province of York, which is led by the Archbishop of York, the next-most senior clergyman of the Church. Each diocese, save the Canterbury and York, is led in the Church by a diocesan bishop.

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York and the Bishops of London, Durham and Winchester are always peers and members of the House of Lords. Of the remaining thirty-seven bishops, the twenty-one most senior ones also serve in the House of Lords. Since their dioceses lie outside the Kingdom, however, the Bishop of Sodor and Man and the Bishop of Gibraltar may not serve in the House of Lords by virtue of their positions, regardless of their seniority. The Bishop of Sodor and Man does, however, have a seat in the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man's legislature, the Tynwald.

Appointment

The election of new Archbishops and Bishops involves several stages. The first stage involves the diocesan Vacancy-in-See Committee, which is composed of:

The Dean of the Cathedral
Two Archdeacons
The Diocese's representative members of the General Synod of the Church of England
Members of the diocesan House of Bishops
The Chairman and two other members of the Diocesan House of Clergy
The Chairman and two other members of the Diocesan House of Laity
Other Members approved by the Bishop's Council

The Committee produces a Statement of Needs assessing the needs of the diocese. This statement is then sent to a specially constituted Crown Nominations Commission, which consists of:

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York (if either post is vacant, then another bishop is elected by the House of Bishops to take the Archbishop's place)
Three members of the General Synod's House of Clergy
Three members of the General Synod's House of Laity
Six members of the Vacancy-in-See Committee
An appointee of the Prime Minister (if the vacancy is in the see of Canterbury)
An appointee of the Church of England Appointments Committee (if the vacancy is in the see of York)

The Commission then forwards two names to the Prime Minister, who chooses one of them. It is also possible for the Prime Minister to request additional names from the Commission. If the chosen individual accepts the office, the Prime Minister advises the Sovereign, who then formally nominates the Prime Minister's choice. Thereafter, the Diocese's College of Canons meets to elect the new Bishop.

Following the election, the new bishop must be confirmed. A provincial ceremony is held where the bishop-elect takes an oath. During the ceremony, one of the Archbishops confers the spiritualities of the see on the bishop-elect, who then takes office. At a later point, the Queen confers the temporalities of the see, which formerly included vast Church estates and the Bishop's residence, but are now more limited. If the Bishop has never previously been a bishop, he must be consecrated. (Seniority of consecration in the Bishops' Orders, not seniority of appointment, determines who may serve in the House of Lords. Even if a Bishop is translated to another see, he does not lose seniority.) Finally, the Bishop is enthroned in a symbolic ceremony.