It has emerged that the next Archbishop of York will be a theologically orthodox minister. The news comes as the York diocese releases a 'statement of needs' regarding Rev David Hope’s successor. The statement confirms that the diocese wants an Archbishop to hold mainstream views on such issues as homosexuality, therefore effectively ruling out the next being a pro-gay liberal, as many evangelicals and conservatives feared.

The final decision will be made by the Crown Nominations Committee, and the guidelines released will form a major part of the final assessment made.

The Archbishop of York is the second most senior position in the whole of the Anglican Communion, and the new stance could mean some leading reverends will be excluded from the final runnings to be Archbishop for the York diocese.

The news greatly encourages conservative members of the Anglican Communion worldwide as the successor will share similar views on homosexuality, which has brought great division within the Church this past year. Some have even commented that a conservative representative could help to counter-balance Rev Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is regarded as privately sympathetic to the liberal stance on homosexuality.

One senior member of the Church of England has even stated that the Crowns Nominations Committee will be determined to meet the criteria as laid down in the recent release.

It has also been pointed out that evangelicals on the committee make up the majority, which appears to be a great advantage for the conservatives in the decision. The York diocese is represented by the Bishop of Hull, the Rt Rev Richard Frith, the Ven Glyn Webster, Archdeacon of Cleveland, Richard Liversedge, Jennifer Reid and Ian Smith.

Liversedge, Reid and Smith are all known to hold evangelical views, and in addition, the others are confessed broad Catholics that have great sympathy to the evangelical opinions and stances.