Updated Thursday morning
Newspapers are now reporting Justin Welby’s appointment as a fact.
The Times is behind a paywall, but the article by Ruth Gledhill for tomorrow’s paper is headlined: Justin Welby, Bishop of Durham, to become Archbishop of Canterbury, and opens with
The Bishop of Durham will be announced as the new Archbishop of Canterbury tomorrow.
The Telegraph has Bishop of Durham Justin Welby to be Archbishop of Canterbury by John Bingham and Jonathan Wynne-Jones.
… Last night a spokesman refused to confirm his appointment. But it came a few hours after he pulled out at short notice from a planned appearance on the BBC Radio 4 discussion programme Any Questions due to take place in County Durham on Friday.
He also cut short a retreat with diocesan staff and returned to the capital where it is understood his wife is travelling down to join him tomorrow…
Lizzy Davies at the Guardian has Justin Welby set to be named as new Archbishop of Canterbury
Justin Welby, the Bishop of Durham, is expected to be unveiled as the next Archbishop of Canterbury within days as Lambeth Palace prepares to break weeks of silence on the identity of Rowan Williams’s successor…
Updates
Daily Mail Steve Doughty Former oil boss who opposes same sex marriage emerges as favourite to become next Archbishop of Canterbury
Martha Linden Press Association via Independent Bishop of Durham ‘to become Archbishop of Canterbury’
BBC Justin Welby ‘to be named as new Archbishop of Canterbury’
Guardian Andrew Brown and Lizzy Davies Justin Welby: an archbishop who could do the business
At least he’s done some work in a parish as a vicar. He should also help to represent the evangelical wing and hopefully moderate them a bit – except perhaps on the gay issue.
But he’s too young and too inexperienced as a bishop, the latter of these being the most worrisome.
No doubt the trumpets will sound and peons of praise be offered when the announcement is made officially.
Let’s hope they will still be heard fourteen years from now.
If it is to be Justin Welby and speculation suggests that it may well be – then I wish him well and assure him of my prayers as he prepares to take his place on Saint Augustine’s throne.
My hope is that he is not treated like his namesake – Justin Martyr (A.D. 100-165),that great early interpreter of the Logos, and suffers a similar martyrdom at the hands of the Press as has his three immediate predecessors – Archbishops Williams, Carey and Runcie.
If “Fr David” is the Fr David who has spoken out so strongly in favour of Richard Chartres here, then I salute him for his good wishes and prayers for Justin Welby.
If everyone could emulate that and mean it, we would be a long step towards healing the divide in the church.
Erika, the very same Fr. David. Thank you for your kind words and I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiments expressed in your second sentence.
Dreadfully embarrassing for the Church of England that this has been leaked and published in the national press before any official announcement has been made…
If these reports are correct, then Bishop Justin has my warm congratulations and welcome. A couple of musings: – Do we actually have any evidence that Bishop Justin is opposed to same-sex marriage? His profile on the BBC Religion and Ethics website says ‘he has rigorously defended the Church’s right to oppose single-sex marriages’ – but that could be as in ‘I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it’. – Barber (1995, _J. Eccles. Law_ *3*(16):299-312) lists Trinity as certainly being a Royal Peculiar and Eton as possibly being a… Read more »
Justin Welby is being variously descibed on the Radio news this morning as
Eton educated
former oil executive,
for women bishops
against same sex marriage.
The first three appear singly or in multiple. The last is always included. It seems to me to unfortunate, to say the least, the the man being touted as the next ABC is already seen as being part of the conservative and evangelical opposition to the contemporary world.
I’m unenthusiastic if this is the decision. But if it is, then of course we all should get behind him. Equally – and equally of course – he should get behind us – and all of us.
Changing Attitude say they welcome the appointment:
http://changingattitude.org.uk/archives/6565
Never heard of this guy until articles about him being an odds on favorite by British bookies began to emerge. Gleaned from online articles, he appears to be well connected to the “establishment” and he is an evangelical. Perhaps these two characteristics make sense in choosing a leader for the established church at a time when it is in serious numerical decline. He is said to have some expertise in the area of “conflict management” but that can mean many things across the spectrum from peace making to marketing. The one major concern I would have, if I were impacted… Read more »
Justin’s parish experience is mentioned in an article about his wife Caroline in the Telegraph from way back in 2001:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/3294138/For-better-for-worse.html
Given his relative inexperience it might make sense for +Graham James who has been at Norwich a long time but who has experience of being Chaplain to two Abps to become Bishop at Lambeth. the post seems to have lapsed but in view of Tim Sutcliffe’s criticisms of the way things work it might be a help.
The Church is the Bride of Christ, and is guided by the Holy Spirit.
Having said that “the church” is also a very worldly institution.
It is not uncommon for the press to widely speculate that John Doe is going to be the next leader of such-and-such, and lo and behold, Jane Smith is the one chosen — precisely because of the press speculation.
Mightn’t it be a possibility that Bishop Welby’s name is being “leaked” to the press — for the purpose of shooting down his appointment?
Rod,
Lay Anglicana has published a profile of him here http://www.layanglicana.org/blog/2012/08/13/candidates-for-cantuar-justin-welby/
And if you haven’t read it yet, the Guardian article linked to in the Updates above is worth reading.
Now that the new Archbishop of Canterbury’s appointment has been announced – together with news of his supposed rooted opposition to Same-Sex Marriage. I was surprised to find this gem via the anti-TEC web-site ‘virtueonline’, describing a talk given by +Justin, Dunelm, to a meeting of TEC’s House of Bishops earlier this year:
http://www.collegeforbishops.org/assets/1145/bishop_of_durham_reflections_to_tec_hob.pdf
A spokesman for Ladbrokes, which has already paid out to those who backed Bishop Welby ahead of the official announcement today…
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9665399/Claims-of-insider-dealing-after-run-of-bets-on-Justin-Welby.html
@ Erika, tks for the article from layanglicana. Hadn’t seen that one. There is some “in country” code in the piece that I’m not up to speed on, but its is an interesting and encouraging perspective. Always interested in Giles Fraser’s take on things. Be interesting to see how +Welby resonates with the North American scene, given the state of the question on same -sex marriage in Canada, and increasingly in the United States–conservative churchland is fast being left behind. I hope he’ll relate to us less like +Williams has, and perhaps more like the Royal family when they come… Read more »
Lots in today’s TIMES in anticipation of the official announcement – including what + Justin Dunelm is recorded as thinking is the best job in the Established Church. On being Dean of Liverpool:- “the best job in the Church”. On becoming the fourth most senior cleric in the Church’s hierarchy:- “The Bishop of Durham is the best job in the Church of England.” This reminds me of nothing more than the great Bishop Cuthbert Bardsley who – wherever he went in the Coventry diocese – used to say:- “I don’t know why it is but I like coming here better… Read more »
I knew Justin when he was at Coventry Cathedral, all I can say from my perspective as a Reader at the time is he was very approachable, appreciated and understood lay ministry, not prone to publicising himself and his achievements, hard working and absolutely no sense of self importance, and a genuine attitude of servanthood.
I pray that these qualities, and his very genuine faith, will enable him to deal with the difficult times ahead.
Justin Welby may not have much experience as a bishop, but he has more experience as a parish priest than the last four ABCs combined. That’s nice to see.