That was certainly the case with Peter Ball, whom John Major appointed to the see of Gloucester, much to then Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey’s horror:
LORD CAREY has expressed his horror that the former Prime Minister John Major was persuaded by a senior aide to choose Peter Ball over another candidate for the see of Gloucester against the wishes of the Crown Appointments Commission (CAC — now the Crown Nominations Commission).
That’s basically the deal with a state church: the church gets the privileges of official status but must submit to the state’s will. I’ve noted this problem before (and so did Bossuet, who preached at the court of Louis XIV,) but it hasn’t stopped many in North American Anglicanism from pining for communion with Canterbury, even as the drift in the culture was reflected in the attitude of the state.
I think now that the consequences of this signal weakness are apparent to just about everyone, as was evidence as the recent GAFCON meeting. Better late than never.
As far Ball’s appointment being recommended by Sir Robin Catford, recalling this is impossible to resist:
That could be applied to a large number of Anglican and Episcopal prelates and clergy as well…
Positive Infinity 