Thursday, November 08, 2012

Justin Welby set to become new Archbishop of Canterbury

Bishop of Durham Justin Welby, a former oil industry worker, is set to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury. 

It is thought the 56-year-old will be named on Friday as the replacement for Rowan Williams, who steps down in December after 10 years in the post.

Bishop Welby became a bishop only a year ago when he took up the Church of England's fourth most senior post.

Downing Street sources have confirmed the next archbishop will be formally announced on Friday morning.

On Tuesday, leading bookmakers stopped taking bets on the succession after a run of bets on Bishop Welby.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Bishop Welby has agreed to accept the post. The Times newspaper says he will be named as the new Primate this week.

Bishop Welby said he was unable to comment on the speculation.

Speaking during a break in the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards inquiry, of which he is a committee member, he said: "I am not able to comment, only Lambeth Palace can."

Justin Welby will bring some unusual qualities to his new role. An old Etonian, he has significant experience in the oil industry and in managing complex processes and organisations.

He said he was called to become a priest following the death of his young daughter in a car crash.

Critics have said that the fact he's only been a bishop for a year may leave him vulnerable when dealing with the Church's various factions.

But he is skilled at conflict resolution, even at one point risking his own life when dealing with warring factions in Nigeria.

He's particularly concerned about the plight of the poor and the moral obligations of the City - so the government can expect him to be just as outspoken as Rowan Williams.

Bishop Welby was educated at Eton and Cambridge University, and then spent 11 years in the oil industry before studying theology at Durham. He was ordained in 1992.

He became Bishop of Durham in November 2011, having served as Dean of Liverpool since 2007. 

He is regarded by observers as being on the evangelical wing of the Church, closely adhering to traditional interpretations of the Bible with a strong emphasis on making the church outward-looking.

Even within the evangelical community, however, there are significant differences of outlook on questions of doctrine.

Christina Rees, who sits on the Church of England's governing body, the General Synod, said Bishop Welby, if he was chosen, would be a "visionary and strategic leader".

She told BBC News: "He's known to be wise, collaborative, a man prepared to take risks, someone extremely astute. He's worked in industry and commerce, in the oil business for many years. He's also known to be personally very warm and a man of prayer, deeply spiritual."
 
She added that she believed his business background means he is "well-equipped" to take the church "into the future".

Ruth Gledhill, religious affairs correspondent at the Times, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Bishop Welby's strong financial background and business sense was likely to have been viewed as valuable experience.

She said he had worked as the Archbishop of Canterbury's special envoy to Africa, attempting to build unity between Christian and Muslim communities in Nigeria.

The journalist said the bishop was thought to be "conservative on the issue of gay marriage" and was "absolutely in favour of women bishops, but strong on protecting the position of traditionalists in the Church".

Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Dr Williams said that his successor would need to be someone who "likes reading the Bible and likes reading newspapers".

It is believed the incumbent archbishop was referencing a quote from Karl Barth, a 20th Century theologian who said: "You have to preach with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other."

The Crown Nominations Commission, which nominates two candidates to the prime minister, who then advises the Queen on the appointment, held a three-day meeting in September to consider the contenders to be the next archbishop, but no announcement followed.

Dr Williams' successor will become the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury, and the nominal leader of 77 million Anglicans worldwide - though conservative Anglican provinces, especially in Africa, have been setting up alternative organisational structures of their own.