The Appointment of Church of England diocesan bishops follows a somewhat convoluted process, reflecting the church's traditional tendency towards compromise and ad-hoc solutions, traditional ambiguity between heirarchy and democracy, and traditional role as a semi-autonomous state church. (Suffragan bishops are appointed through a much simpler process, reflecting their status directly responsible to their diocesan bishop.) The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... For other uses, see Bishop (disambiguation). ...

When a bishop dies, retires, or moves on to leave a diocese vacant, the process of replacing him involves several stages. The first of these involves the diocesan Vacancy-in-See Committee, composed of: Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ...

• The Dean of the diocese's 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. It then sends this statement to the Crown Nominations Commission (known until 2003 as the "Crown Appointments Commission"), which consists of: In religious terminology, a dean is a title accorded to persons holding cartain positions of authority within a religious heirarchy. ... A cathedral is a Christian church building, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy (such as the Roman Catholic Church or the Anglican churches), which serves as the central church of a bishopric. ... An archdeacon is a position in Christian churches. ...

• The Archbishops of Canterbury and York (in the event of a vacancy in either post, then the House of Bishops elects another bishop to take that Archbishop's place)
• Three members elected by the General Synod's House of Clergy from within itself
• Three members elected by the General Synod's House of Laity from itself
• Six members elected ad hoc by the Vacancy-in-See Committee from itself

Beyond these fourteen voting members, the Prime Minister's appointments secretary and the Archbishops' appointments secretaries meet with the commission and help supply it with information on possible candidates. Normally the archbishop in whose province the vacancy lies chairs the commission In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ...

When meeting to nominate an archbishop, the commission is chaired by a fifteenth voting member, who must be an "actual communicant lay member of the Church of England." He or she is appointed by the Prime Minister (if an Archbishop of Canterbury is being appointed); of by the Church of England Appointments Committee (if an Archbishop of York). In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ...

The commission meets several times in secret. The Commission then forwards two names to the Prime Minister, who chooses one of them, or (exceptionally) requests 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. In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ...

Following the election, the new bishop must be confirmed in office. A provincial ceremony takes place where the bishop-elect swears an oath. During the ceremony, the appropriate archbishop 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 which have now become more limited. If the Bishop has never previously received consecration as a bishop, he must undergo the ceremony of consecration; both the confirmation of election and episcopal consecration (if any) generally take place to suit the archbishop's convenience, that is to say in York Minster for a bishop of the northern province; for a bishop of the southern province, in Canterbury Cathedral or one of the great churches or cathedrals in London (such as St. Paul's or Southwark Cathedral). To consecrate an inanimate object is to dedicate it in a ritual to a special purpose, usually religious. ... York Minster is an imposing Gothic cathedral in York, northern England. ... Canterbury Cathedral, N.W., ca. ... St Stevens Tower - The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster which contains Big Ben London (see also different names) is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Southwark Cathedral Southwark Cathedral or St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge. ...

Finally, a symbolic ceremony of enthronement takes place in the bishop's new cathedral, during which he is welcomed by his new diocese and first sits in his cathedra. Pope John Paul I s enthronement as Pope on 3rd September 1978. ... A cathedral is a Christian church building, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy (such as the Roman Catholic Church or the Anglican churches), which serves as the central church of a bishopric. ... Cathedra is a Latin word for throne. ...