The House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada has nominated five of its number for the election of a new Primate and Archbishop. The current Primate of Canada, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, will retire on 16 July at the end of the province’s triennial General Synod meeting, after serving as leader of the Church since 2007. His successor will be elected by deacon- priest- and lay-members of the General Synod on 13 July. The new Archbishop will be officially installed on 16 July.

The Church’s canons for dealing with Primatial vacancies require the House of Bishops to nominate at least three and no more than five candidates at their last meeting prior to a General Synod. The recently retired Primate of the Church of the Province of the West Indies, Archbishop John Holder, led the bishops in “a prayerful and grace-filled retreat” ahead of the nomination process, the Church of Canada said in a statement. The Bishops are meeting in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

The candidates nominated for the election to serve as the 14th Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada are:

• Jane Alexander,
  Bishop of Edmonton;
  
  
• Ron Cutler,
  Bishop of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island,
  and Archbishop of the internal province of Canada;
  
  
• Gregory Kerr-Wilson,
  Bishop of Calgary,
  and Archbishop of the internal province of Rupert’s Land;
  
  
• Linda Nicholls,
  Bishop of Huron; and
  
  
• Michael Oulton,
  Bishop of Ontario.

More than 250 delegates are members of the Anglican Church of Canada’s General Synod. It includes lay people, youth delegates, deacons, priests and bishops from across the church. Bishops will gather in prayer while the other members of Synod vote for their next Primate in Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver.