The vacancies created by the departures of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Match of the Day host Gary Lineker create the bulk of the headlines.
The Daily Mail says the resignation has has left the Church of England “in turmoil”. The Times says that while “Archbishops of Canterbury have been murdered and executed since the first in 597… Welby’s resignation on a matter of negligence is historic and without exact precedent”.
The editorials are universal in their view that Mr Welby had to resign. “Finally”, declares the Daily Expresswhile the Daily Mirror says he was left with “no choice” but to go. The Sun said his position had become “holy untenable”. The Daily Telegraph leader quotes one cleric saying “he could not think of an Archbishop who had caused such damage to the Church since the Reformation”, calling the comment a “damning epitaph” for Mr Welby.
“Who’s in the frame to take the C of E’s top job?” asks the Guardian. The paper offers seven options including Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell and Bishop of Chelmsford Guli Francis-Dehqani. The i suggests that a candidate could also be drawn from the Episcopal Church, the Church of Ireland, or the Church in Wales. The Daily Mail leader says the new archbishop “must focus on the spiritual and pastoral needs of their flock” and “not bleat constantly about the sins of the fathers”.
The i reports that Lineker’s departure from Match of the Day was – in part – because of “internal frustration” that his podcasting business was driving audiences away from the BBC. Under his new deal, the corporation will post an edition of his The Rest is Football podcast on BBC Sounds. The Daily Telegraph says that, while BBC listeners will get the podcast ad-free, they will have to wait “48 hours after it has been made available elsewhere”.
There is also much speculation about Lineker’s successor. The Daily Mail says the director of BBC Sport is “already discussing” Lineker’s job with the host of Football Focus, Alex Scott. The Sun’s lead says corporation bosses want Mark Chapman and Kelly Somers to “take turns in the hot seat”, but that Chapman is reportedly not keen on the idea. A source describes the row as a “headache” for the BBC.
Under the headline, “how the mitre has fallen”, the Daily Express reminds its readers that Mr Welby was “outspoken” on issues including child poverty, the plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, and assisted dying.
The Daily Telegraph alludes to Lineker’s activism, which it says included “a monologue at the Qatar World Cup to criticise the country’s human rights record”. The paper’s Matt cartoon is a meeting at a job centre. The caption reads: “Match of the Day presenter? Have you got anything less preachy, like Archbishop of Canterbury?”
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