Justin Welby confirmed as archbishop of Canterbury.. former oil executive and bishop of Durham

The Guardian ^ | Friday 9 November 2012 | Lizzy Davies

[Winniesboy]

a former oil executive who was made a bishop just over a year ago, will be the next leader of the Church of England, Downing Street confirmed on Friday morning.

A press conference at Lambeth Palace took place to announce that the 56-year-old bishop of Durham will be the 105th man to sit on the throne of Saint Augustine, succeeding Rowan Williams.

Welby will be enthroned as archbishop of Canterbury in Canterbury Cathedral on 21 March 2013. He said: "To be nominated to this post is both astonishing and exciting. It is something I never expected, and the last few weeks have been a very strange experience.

"It is exciting because we are at one of those rare points where the tide of events is turning, and the church nationally, including the Church of England has great opportunities to match its very great but often hidden strengths.

"I feel a massive sense of privilege at being one of those responsible for the leadership of the church in a time of spiritual hunger, when our network of parishes and churches and schools and above all people means that we are facing the toughest issues in the toughest place."

Welby, an evangelical, is a supporter of female bishops. He is also, like the prime minister and the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, an old Etonian.

Welby's name was passed to Downing Street by the secretive crown nominations commission this week after months of deliberation by the 16-member panel.

[CondorFlight]

“Welby, an evangelical, is a supporter of female bishops.”

Does the reporter know what he is talking about?

[Gay State Conservative]

My first question is...is he a “Ten Commandments” kind of man or a “Nine Suggestions” one? Or,in other words,is he actually a Christian or is he a Unitarian/Universalist who's masquerading as one?

[hinckley buzzard]

This is the UK. Words don't always mean what you think they mean.

[beelzepug]

Is he gay? You get extra points for that.

Dead church, this one.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

So is this one more Muslim, more Marxist, or looking for the happy middle ground between the two?

[MasterGunner01]

The real question for the new Archbishop: Are you a certified Druid priest? We want tree worship first, then we’ll talk about gays in the clergy, women priestesses, and Muslim choirs.