So bear with me, dear reader, and explore with me why Church of England bishops should ditch their mitres. Could it be that the wearing of mitres is a last grasp at a power and authority that is ebbing away? At a time when the Church, and especially the episcopate, appear to be in the grip of a crisis of authority and credibility, it is striking that mitres are now so prominent. However you interpret them-either as signifying the authority to dispense the Spirit at ordination, an idea concocted from the supposed flame-like shape, or from their historical origins as ecclesial crowns-mitres signify power and institutional authority. The second reason is to do with the current situation we find ourselves in as a Church. My strong impression is that the number of mitres seemed to be higher this year than previously. The first is that last weekend was the time for many to be ordained, so my social media feed was full of pictures of people being ordained, and so also full of mitres. This seems to be a very good time to republish this article which I last posted three years ago in 2020, for at least two reasons.
