The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby is expected to come to Brighton and Hove during a three-day official visit to the Diocese of Chichester.
The archbishop is due to visit the diocese – a region of the Church of England – from Friday 4 March to Sunday 6 March.
He plans to meet community volunteers, business leaders, students and young people as well as those who help to run the Anglican church locally.
The diocese has its head office in Church Road, Hove.
The church said: “There will be several events where members of the public will be welcome to come and meet the archbishop and discuss questions of faith with him.”
The Bishop of Chichester Martin Warner today welcomed news of the visit.
Dr Warner said: “The archbishop will travel to a diversity of parishes, schools and chaplaincies right across the diocese.
“It will have a particularly evangelistic flavour encouraging us in apostolic life.”
He emphasised that, as well as the visits to physical places, there would be opportunities online for clergy and others to meet the archbishop while he is in the diocese.
The church said: “A group has been set up to oversee the organisation of the visit and they are working closely with Lambeth Palace to ensure that the visit runs smoothly. “
Although the plans are at an early stage, some expect the archbishop to return to St Peter’s Church, in Brighton, where – for a previous appearance almost seven years ago – queues stretched to The Level.
He may also visit All Saints, in Hove, which like St Peter’s received “strategic development funding” from the Church Commissioners last summer.
The two churches were given a share of a £2.5 million pot to “revitalise and strengthen the mission and ministry of a number of churches in Brighton and Hove”.
Both churches have worked with other parishes not just to spread the word but also on specific “social action” projects to tackle injustice and serve the marginalised.
