The election of the Right Rev Alan Harper as the next Archbishop of Armagh has come as a surprise to some. But it provides the Church of Ireland with a capable and hard-working primate, known for his commitment to eradicating sectarianism and for his deep personal faith, stimulating sermons and a thoughtful and caring approach to liturgy.
Although Bishop Harper's term of office will come nowhere near the 21 years of his predecessor, Archbishop Robin Eames, it would be wrong to see him as a stop-gap primate, holding the fort for the next incumbent. Prior to ordination, Bishop Harper was an accomplished professional archaeologist, whose expertise was recognised both in his publications and when he was awarded an OBE in 1996. He brings to his new office a realism that is rooted in the practicalities of dealing with government on a day-to-day basis, coupled with a shrewd understanding of the difficulties faced by a cross-Border diocese still scarred by past events in Drumcree and by a church that is wrestling with its own internal tensions.
Armagh has not had an English-born archbishop since William Stuart held the office from 1800 to 1822. But Bishop Harper's election shows a maturity on the part of his fellow bishops. The Church of England has two archbishops who were born outside its borders - Dr Rowan Williams of Canterbury is from Wales and Dr John Sentamu of York is from Uganda - and Dr Harper's background gives him a certain distance and detachment from the internal divisions in the Church of Ireland. Following his election, northerners cannot complain that they have been overlooked, while southerners cannot complain that their church is being dominated by the choice and agenda of conservative northern evangelicals.
The incoming archbishop will get an early taste of the deeper divisions within the Anglican Communion when he travels to Tanzania next month for a meeting of Anglican primates. Earlier this week, Archbishop of Dublin, Dr John Neill, was appointed to the Covenant Design Committee, which has the task of proposing new structures to hold together the Anglican Communion, divided as it is over the ordination of gay priests and bishops and the blessing of gay partnerships. However, unlike Dr Eames, the archbishop-elect is unlikely to have a statesman-like status within the Anglican Communion. This new freedom for an Archbishop of Armagh can only benefit the priests and parishes of the diocese, who can expect more attentive pastoral care and attention as well as an episcopal oversight from a bishop whose primary role is to be the pastor of pastors and the focus of unity.