The Archdeacon Returns - Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen: The Election, Part I

The day of the electoral synod finally arrived. It began with a celebration of the Holy Eucharist, at which the Archbishop presided and preached. In his sermon he spoke about the solemnity and gravity of the task before the members of synod and urged them to cast their votes prayerfully. He concluded his sermon with a long and meandering prayer for the candidates.  Holy Communion having been received by all present in the cathedral, the congregation was then instructed to divide according to their “order”, with the laity sitting on the “epistle” side of the nave and the clergy sitting on the “gospel” side.  A table with three chairs was set up in the transept for the Archbishop, who would preside over the election, the Chancellor, and the Secretary of Synod.  Ballot boxes, one for the clergy, and one for the laity, were placed at the chancel steps by members of the diocesan staff, who were seated in the side aisle.  Amongst them sat our friend, Young Tony, who had been appointed a scrutineer for the election.  

The candidates sat in the front three pews on the clergy side of the church, each with their appointed advisor.  The advisor was to assist, counsel, and pray with their candidate as the ballot results came in and advise them on whether or not to stay on the ballot given the tabulated results.  The Archdeacon, of course, had chosen Maddie as his advisor.  It was an honour for someone so young and new to ministry to be singled out for such a role, but she was his closest colleague and staunchest supporter.  Next to them sat Robbie Ready and his advisor, a retired cleric with whom Robbie had been friends for decades.  Behind them was Rebecca Hope and her advisor, who was a professor of Missiology from that seminary on the south side of the street.  Next to her was the saintly Albert Ascetus with his advisor Sister Aethelburgha. In the third row back was the insufferable Marta Martyrion and a deacon who had worked with her in her outreach ministry.  Finally, there was Penelope Suasion, who had also chosen a young, but rather unsuspecting curate as her advisor. This young man was awed to be part of the proceedings and did not realize he was backing a losing horse. 

With the ablutions concluded and the chancel party returned from the vestry, the Archbishop declared the synod in session and opened in prayer:

 O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquillity the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

The Chancellor announced that there were present 236 lay members eligible to cast votes and 160 clerical members.  Thus, a majority of 119 was required in the order of laity, and 119 in the order of clergy for the election of new bishop to be declared. After some preliminary instructions to the house, the voting began, and clergy and laity proceeded to their respective ballot boxes to cast their votes.

As it turned out, because he was in the front pew, the Archdeacon was the first of the clergy to cast his ballot. He was followed by Maddie.  What goes through the mind of a candidate at such a moment? I cannot say. Only those who have been on a ballot of some kind or another can truly understand what a person thinks or feels in such a situation. What I can say is that Maddie felt a terrible sense of anxiety and dread on the Archdeacon’s behalf. She had worked hard for him. She believed in him, and earnestly hoped he could cross the finish line, but she did have her doubts.  As she dropped her ballot in the box, she caught the eye of Young Tony who was standing next to the ballot box ensuring that each vote was properly deposited. They both dropped their glances and she returned to her pew.  As she took her seat, she felt the blood rush to her head, and she noticed her palms were sweaty and that her breathing was heavy and anxious.  She closed her eyes, tried to centre herself, and prayed.

When the round of voting was concluded, the candidates and their advisors followed the Archbishop downstairs into the crypt where they would wait for the results. I cannot say in this particular circumstance what the mood was like in that subterranean chamber, for I was not present, but I have had the great privilege of being present with a candidate as an advisor in another episcopal election and I can say it is a strange place to be. There are no strangers in the room.  Everyone is a colleague, and many know each other intimately.  Yet, they are competitors to lead the Diocese and there is an awkward silence as they wait.  Finally, when the Secretary of Synod enters and announces the results, private conversations erupt as each candidate confers with their advisor about how to proceed with respect to the next ballot, assuming an election has not been made. 

In this instance, an election had not occurred and so the candidates ascended the steps back into the nave of the cathedral and returned to their places.  Perhaps some of the best poker faces I have ever seen have been found on episcopal candidates and their advisors returning from the crypt just before the results of a ballot are announced to the members of synod.  Having waited while the ballots are counted, when the door opens and the candidates return, members strain to see candidates’ expressions, hoping that even the slightest facial cue might enable them to divine the results. On this particular morning, nothing could be ascertained from the faces of the candidates, with the exception of Albert Ascetus who wore a pacific smile.

The Archbishop called the murmuring synod to order and pre-emptively announced that no candidate had received the required number of votes for an election to be declared and that following the announcement of the results of the first ballot, a second ballot would take place.  The results were as follows:

The Rev. Rebecca Hope: laity-65 clergy-32

The Ven. Thomas Fulman: laity-60 clergy-45

The Rev. Robert Ready: laity-50 clergy-40

The Rev. Marta Martyrion: laity-30 clergy-24

The Rev. Albert Ascetus: laity-18 clergy-11

The Rev. Penelope Suasion: laity-13 clergy-8

While Rebecca Hope led in the laity votes, the Archdeacon was ahead with respect to the clergy, much as Maddie had anticipated. However, neither was close to the required 119/81 threshold. Robbie Ready placed a rather surprisingly strong third on this ballot and felt confident he would be able to sneak up the middle and take the election on an ensuing ballot.  Penelope Suasion, as the candidate with the least number of votes, by the rules of synod, was removed from the ballot. Albert Ascetus graciously withdrew his name.

The Archbishop called for the next round of voting to begin, and when completed once again led the candidates and advisors down to the crypt.  A senior priest, who was also an accomplished organist sat down at the organ console and began to lead the synod in a round of hymn singing while they awaited the results of the second ballot.  

When the results of the second ballot were finally announced, Marta Martyrion’s meagre support had withered away and she was the next to retire from the race.  The numbers for each of the remaining candidates, Rebecca, the Archdeacon, and Robbie grew but the ratios remained roughly the same.  Rebecca led the laity, the Archdeacon the clergy, and Robbie held firm in third place.

In the third ballot, Robbie began to lose his clergy support which had begun to migrate to the Archdeacon and by the fourth ballot, his lay support began to leak in Rebecca’s favour so that the results looked something like this:

The Rev. Rebecca Hope:         laity-115     clergy-48

The Ven. Thomas Fulman: laity-80     clergy-82

The Rev. Robert Ready:         laity-41     clergy-30

The exact opposite of what Robbie hoped, and many expected, had happened. He would not come up the middle but began to seriously lag behind.  Rebecca Hope was three votes short of attaining a majority in the order of laity, and the Archdeacon had just crossed the threshold and taken the majority in the order of clergy.  The lines were being drawn. 

Robbie Ready’s hope of episcopal office once again having evaporated, he retired from the race and this left the field occupied by our two staunch adversaries. It was mid-afternoon when the fifth ballot was returned:

The Rev. Rebecca Hope:         laity-136 clergy-68

The Ven. Thomas Fulman: laity-100 clergy-92

Each was winning in one the orders – Rebecca with the laity and the Archdeacon with the clergy and the dark horses had all fled the stable. 

The Archbishop called for a sixth ballot, and then a seventh, but little changed. One or two votes shifted here or there, but the parties were entrenched.  The election was at a stalemate. Often when a candidate begins to take the lead in the clergy vote, the laity will fall in behind and begin to shift their votes to the clergy’s favoured candidate—often, but not always. No one had really understood the laity’s anger with respect to the late bishop.  All the church closures, all the amalgamations and restructuring, had left a scar on God’s people. Yes, the clergy were frustrated, too, but they could move on. When a church closed or congregations were forcefully amalgamated, many lay people lost the spiritual homes they had inhabited, often for generations.  They would not suffer to see the late bishop’s agent of destruction take her place and thus they entrenched behind Rebecca Hope. It was growing late in the day, and if no election were made, by the rules of synod, after nine ballots, they would be forced to adjourn for a period of three months before making another attempt at electing a bishop.

Next: The Election - Part II